Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
by Irlanda Anima
Summary: Voldemort's back and an attack on Harry forces him to spend the rest of his summer at Hogwarts. Will he be safe? And who are all this new people here at Hogwarts and why do they all seem so interested in Harry? Indefinite HIATUS
1. Prolouge

AN: I've re-done the prologue and chapter one just because I didn't like how chapter one turned out and I thought the prologue needed to be longer. Hope you enjoy my new prologue and chapter one.

.~:Prologue:~.

   The night was quiet and dark. The trees rustled softly in the wind and made soft whistling sounds as they blew through the halls of the castle. For a summer night in the middle of July, it was quite cool. Although neither figure standing outside of the castle seemed to notice.

   Normally, it wouldn't be unusual to see the Headmaster and deputy Headmistress standing outside of the school. But, they weren't just standing there. They seemed to be waiting for something at this late hour.

   McGonagoll stood silently beside Dumbledore, waiting patiently. Although she looked clam, she was indeed very worried. Ever since the end of the Tournament last month when she had heard Voldemort had returned she had been worried. Not only for the entire world at large, but also for a certain someone. And she knew Voldemort would stop at nothing to get him. But what if he did?

   Dumbledore seemed to sense what she was thinking. "He will be fine, Minerva. He's well protected."

   McGonagoll nodded her head in agreement. "I know, but I can't help worrying. You-Know-Who will find him, Albus. No matter what it takes."

   "I know. That's why this meeting has been called." Dumbledore said, keeping his eyes on the Horizon. 

   McGonagoll sighed worryingly. "Albus, is Harry..."

   "Yes, I'm afraid he is." But Dumbledore didn't say anymore. For of in the distance, coming towards the castle at an unbelievable speed, was a black carriage being driven buy two jet-black horses. It stopped as it came up before the steps that lead into the castle and the door opened to revel a clocked figure.

   Dumbledore went down to greet the man. McGonagoll waited on the steps. "I'm glad you were able to make it." Dumbledore said to the man. He simply nodded.

   "It wasn't easy. I trust that he is safe, Albus." The Man said as he and Dumbledore started to climb the steps to the castle. More Clocked figures came out of the carriage and followed them up the steps. McGonagoll followed closely behind them.

   "He is safe, for now. But, that could change very soon." Dumbledore said calmly.

   The man just nodded in understanding and followed Dumbledore into the castle. Once everyone was in, the large oak doors shut and the grounds at Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry was silent once more.

   The group walked silently down one of the hall in Hogwarts. The halls were dark and quiet. Not even Peeves made a sound tonight. If it weren't for the silent figures that walk in the halls, Hogwarts would have looked like it had been completely empty of life.

   They walked in silence, everyone wrapped up in their own thoughts, 'til the cloaked figure spoke again. "I take it our 'guest' will not be attending this meeting?" It was more of a statement then a question.

   Albus nodded. "It's not safe for him if people were to find out who he was. I can't even tell those who I'd trust with my life. He'd be in too much danger."

  The cloaked figure nodded, understanding why Dumbledore was doing this. If anyone found out that 'he' was here not only would 'his' life be in danger but so would Harry's. He could risk that. He couldn't lose them. Not again.

   Albus seemed to read the figures mind and sighed. "Why don't you go talk to him? I'll fill you and him in on the meeting later."

  The cloaked man looked at him and smiled in the darkness. "Is he in your office?"

  Albus nodded and then said quietly. "I think you'll be able to figure out the pass word."

   The figure nodded and headed off from the group to Dumbledore's office. Once he was out of sight from the rest of the group he looked around to make sure no one was watching then lowered his hooded.

   Sirius Black moved swiftly down the halls up the stairs and turned right then continued down the hall. He came to the stone gargoyle and whispered, "_Phoenix."_ The stone gargoyle jumped aside and Sirius quickly went up the revolving stairs. He came to the wooden door and gently pushed it open.

   There was a cloaked man sitting in a chair by the fireplace reading quiet by the light. The rest of the room was dark and quiet expect from the occasional crackle from the fire or the movement of pages when the man turned to the next page. The cloaked man raised his head when he head movement by the door and only saw Sirius. But that was enough to make him smile.

   Sirius leaned against the door. "How are you doing?"

  The cloaked figure sighed. "Better. I'm still a little shaky though."

   Sirius nodded. "Understandable. You've been through a lot."

   The cloaked figure snorted. "That's an understatement."

   Sirius smiled then joined the man in a chair next to his by the fire. Though the fire light up most of that area, the cloaked figure's face remained hidden under the hood, but Sirius knew whom it was. 

   "It's not your fault, you know. You couldn't have done anything to save them." Sirius said softly, trying to see if his friend was really all right.

  He laid the book down in his lap and rubbed his face under his hood. "I know. I just can't help thinking of what I could have done differently to save them. I feel like it's my fault though I know that I did all I could." He sighed in frustration. "Why didn't he just kill me too instead of putting that curse on me."

   Sirius placed his hand on the figure's shoulder and forces him to look at him. "He wanted you to suffer, which is what's happing. But he had hoped that by the time the curse worn off that everyone you knew would be dead, but he didn't get so lucky. You have a lot of people around you who care about you. Just try to remember that." Sirius reassured him.

   The cloaked figure nodded. "So anyways," He said trying to change the subject. He really didn't want to think about it right now. "Have you heard from Harry lately?" 

   Sirius sighed and sat back in the chair. "No, I haven't. I've been busy and Harry knows that. He probably won't risk sending me any owls until I tell him it's safe."

  The cloaked figure nodded. "Albus assured me he was safe, but from what I can feel, I doesn't seem that way."

  Sirius looked up at him puzzled. "What do you mean?"

   The cloaked figure stared at the fire. It's Orangey glow casting shadows over everything. "That's just it. I'm not sure what I mean. It's hard to explain, Sirius. It's like I can just feel that something's not right with Harry. That something's wrong. You know I have a talent for things like this."

  Sirius nodded. "I know. But what makes you think something's wrong."

  The figure sighed and slumped back in the chair. "I'm not sure. It doesn't have anything to do with Voldemort, I know that much. I just…Arg… I don't know. It's hard to explain."

  Sirius understood. "It's okay. If there is something wrong Harry will let us know. Or at least I hope he will. It seems that since the Tournament he's been… off, though I can't really blame him."

   They sat in silence 'til the cloaked figure asked the question Sirius knew was coming. "Sirius, when will I be able to see him?"

   Sirius sighed and rubbed his hands over his face. "I don't know. Harry's been through a lot. Dumbledore will let you know when he's ready to see you. You've got to remember that Harry doesn't even know about you-know-what yet. All of this will be very hard on him. Just try to hang in there, k?"

  The cloak figure nodded. He understood Harry needed time and he would give him al the time he needed. He could wait. He had to wait this long already. What was the harm in waiting longer?

   Sirius stood and walked over by a window and stared out at the night sky. May things would be happening this year and though he didn't like what Harry would have to face, he would just have to deal with them. Sirius sighed. "It's going to be a long year."

AN: Review, Review, and REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!! Please!!!!! It's mean a lot to me if you did.


	2. The Dream

Saturday, Feb. 1st, 2003

.~:Chapter One - The Dream:~.

   Harry sat quietly in his bed, his head propped up by a pillow. His usually untidy hair was even worst off then usual and his lighten blot shaped scar was in plain view on his forehead. There seemed to be not one shred of life in his dull emerald eyes. They had used to be full of laughter and innocent. But there was nothing in those green depths anymore, or if there was, it was buried so deep that no one could see it.

   He sat quite still, staring straight ahead at the wall. He was unable to fall asleep just like so many nights since he left Hogwarts. Not that he was surprised at that. After everything that had happened during his last few weeks at school, he would be surprised if he got any sleep tonight.

   His mind kept playing over the events that had taken pace after he had touched the Tri-Wizard cup. The images of what had happened wouldn't leave him, no matter how hard he tried to rid himself of them. Voldemort's return...Wormtail cradling his arm.... Cedric.... dead...the Death Eaters.... his Parents.

   He closed his eyes for a moment to try and block out the memories. But that didn't work. They just came back harder and faster. Unwillingly his thoughts turned back to Voldemort's Rebirth. He shook his head._ 'No! Please no!' _He thought to himself. But it was no use. They thoughts kept coming…

.~:Flash Back:~. 

   _'Bone of the father, unknowingly given, you will renew your son!' Harry watched as a fine trickle of dust rose into the air at Wormtail's command, and fell softly into the cauldron._

_   'Flesh – of the servant – w-willingly given – you will – revive – your master.' He stretched his right hand out in front of him and Harry realized what Wormtail was about to do a second before it happened… He heard a sickening splash as something was dropped into the cauldron._

_   'B-blood of the enemy … forcibly taken … you will … resurrect your foe.' Wormtail staggered back to the cauldron with Harry's blood. He poured it inside. The liquid within turned, instantly, a blinding white._

_   The cauldron was simmering, sending its diamond sparks in all directions, so blindingly bright that it turned all else to velvety blackness. Nothing happened…_

_   Let it have drowned; Harry thought, let it have gone wrong…_

_  And then, suddenly, the sparks emanating from the cauldron were extinguished and a white mist filled the air. …It's drowned … please… please let it be dead._

_   But then, through the mist in front of him, he saw, with an icy surge of terror, the dark outline of a man, tall and skeletally thin, rising slowly from the cauldron._

_   Lord Voldemort had risen again._

   "No!" Harry told himself firmly, finally able to break away from the memories. His breathing came in sharp unsteady gasps. He didn't want these memories any more. They wouldn't leave him. Why did they have to be real?

    Harry wished he could forget it all. Remembering what happened was just too hard on him and it showed. He hadn't slept well since then and he hardly ate anything. Not that he would have been eating much even if he had wanted too. Aunt Petuina barely gave him anything to eat anymore, not like she had before, be she had least given him enough to live off of. Not now though. All that had changed, but Uncle Vernon and his Aunt Petuina didn't care one bit.

     They were in a worst mood then usual when he came back from Hogwarts. Dumbledore had sent them a letter, informing them of the events that had taken pace that year. He told them all about the Tri-Wizard Tournament and about the death of one of Harry's fellow classmate and Tri-Wizard Champion, Cedric Diggory. They had been informed of his injuries and didn't care in the slightest. They just used all of this to torture him even more. 

   They would blame him from the death of Cedric, though they didn't know the whole story and hadn't even met the boy, but that didn't matter. They would tell him that it was his fault that this Voldemort had come back and that everyone would be better of if he was dead. This had all pushed Harry to the edge.

   Harry had come very close to committing suicide many times that summer. He just couldn't handle everything. He felt like he was being blocked in a very small box with no way out. He could still remember the first time he had tried to kill himself.

   He had been vomiting in the washroom late one night because he was ill and the beatings from his Uncle hadn't helped at all. H had just been sitting on the floor in front of the toilet gasping for air when he noticed that Aunt Petuina had left her razor by the bath tuba. He had grabbed it in his shaky hand, examining it, and wondered how it would feel to have the blade slide through his wrist and then watch the blood flow to the ground.

   He had then taken the blade in his hand and brought it closer to his wrist. He had shut his eyes and prepared himself to slide the blade when a strangle feeling had run through him. He hadn't know where it had come from, only that it had been comforting and was sort of trying to tell him that this was wrong. That this wasn't the way to deal with his problems. It had felt like something warm and happy, like love? From what he didn't know, but that was what he had felt. He had felt someone's love for him.

  From that time on every time he tries to kill himself that feeling would come back. It would somehow bring back the happy memories that he had instead of the painful ones. Like when Gryffindor had won the house cup or won the Quiddicth cup in his third year. Al the happy times that he had had with Ron and Hermione. Memories of Sirius, his Godfather, and thoughts of Professor Lupin's Defense classes would come to him. They were the only thoughts that kept him sane.

  But, of course, the teasing and memories weren't his only problems this summer. His Uncle was the worst part. Now Uncle Vernon had always lost his temper with him, but he had never hurt him since he began school at Hogwarts. But his Uncle's drill company had been suffering lately and Vernon seemed to blame the whole thing on him.

  He had come home one night, feeling tired and anger because of his company and had found Harry just inside the door dusting some of the furniture. Well, as soon as Vernon set his eyes on Harry, he had started yelling and screaming and had dropped his suitcase to chase him. That when the beatings started. Everyday His Uncle found some reason to beat him senseless and it seemed that they were getting worst. He know wasn't sure if his Uncle had broken his ribs or not from the kicks and he had thrown up a few times because of the blows to his stomach. Some nights Harry would wake up to just start coughing up blood. 

   Harry wished that he could have used magic to stop his Uncle, but because of the law he wasn't allowed to. He would be expelled from Hogwarts and that was something that he didn't want to happen. Hogwarts was his home and he'd rather die then not go back there. So he remained silent and did nothing.

    Now his back ached all the time and his wounds from the Tournament still hadn't healed. He wished he could tell someone, but Uncle Vernon had threatened Harry that if he told anyone, he wouldn't be alive long enough for anyone to do anything about it.  

   "Sirius." Harry whispered to no one in his dark room. He wished his Godfather were there. He wanted so much to tell him about how the Dursleys' treated him. Even though he knew how Sirius would react. But unfortunately he couldn't. He couldn't tell anyone.

   His thought's then turned to what everyone was sent by Dumbledore to do. He knew that Sirius was out gather up a group of people. They 'old crowd' as Dumbledore had called them, but for what purpose, he didn't know. They were probably needed to help defeat Voldemort.

   What puzzled him the most was what Snape was sent out to do. He can't have rejoined the Death Eaters. Voldemort already knew he had betrayed them and had said he had to be killed. So what was it?

   All these questions began to give Harry a headache. He wanted to try and rid his mind of these thoughts, but knew that was impossible. No matter what he thought about, his mind would always return back to the same thing. Voldemort. It seemed as though every misfortune in his life could come down to Voldemort, or himself. But he couldn't escape the memories. Even Quiddicth, in Harry's opinion the best sport in the world, couldn't distract him.

   Harry sighed and stared around his room. You would have thought that he would have saw what was in every normal fourteen-year-old boys room. But to Harry Potter, the word normal didn't exist. His room was filled with very unusual things. First, his eyes wondered to his wooden trunk, which lay wide open at the foot of his bed. He could see his cauldron, his cherished Firebolt, his black school robes and an assortment of spell books. It had everything that you'd normally find in a wizard trunk.

   His eyes wondered around the rest of his room. Rolls of parchment littered his desk and he watched his snowy whit owl, Hedwig, sleep soundly in her cage on the dresser, with her head tucked under her wing. But even though his room had very unusual things in it, it was still too bare and nit to be a normal fourteen year old boys bedroom, even for a wizard. 

   Harry leaned forward a bit and noticed that his Transfiguration book lay open on the floor. He must have dropped it earlier while doing his homework without even realizing it. 

   As Harry started to get out of bed to pick up the spell book, he heard something. Soft at first then it began to steadily get louder. As it got louder, so did the sense of foreboding. He realized that it sounded like someone screaming out in pain.

   That's when Harry felt it. The sharp pain in his scar that told him that Voldemort was either around or was feeling murderous. Harry didn't know which as he clutched his scar and struggled with all his might not to make a sound or he'd wake up the Dursleys. 

   Suddenly, Harry's window burst open and he jumped out of bed at once. _'Oh, no! Not again, please!'  Harry thought to himself, panicking. He quickly looked around for his wand or anything that would be useful in a fight. But He found nothing. His wand was buried somewhere in his trunk and he had no time to get it out. Then, suddenly, a cloaked figure entered his room causing his scar to explode with pain ten times worst then before._

   Harry knew at once who it was. "Voldemort." And as the word let his lips, Voldemort looked at him. His red eyes seemed to burn into Harry's mind and his snake like features twisted into an evil smile. The scenery around them changed and Harry found he was no longer in his bedroom, but in the middle of a dark forest.

   Death Eaters who were chanting under their breath surrounded Harry. He couldn't make out what they were saying, but he knew whatever they were saying couldn't be good.

   Voldemort was still looking at him and once Harry made eye contact with him, Voldemort smiled. "Nice of you to join us, Potter."

   Harry's scar was hurting like mad and was causing his eyes to water, but he ignored it regardless or how much it hurt. He had more pressing matters. That's when he heard the scream again. 

   Harry whipped his head around to see a man dressed in blue robes lying on the ground twitching and screaming in pain. Harry knew what Voldemort was doing to him having felt it many times before himself. Voldemort had him under the Cruciatus curse.

   Voldemort lifted the curse and stared evilly at the man. The man struggled to his feet and Harry could see that there was a golden emblem in the shape of a Phoenix on the front of his robes. The man stared at Voldemort, then turned and noticed Harry. Panic struck his face when he saw him.

   Voldemort smiled. "Are you willing to talk now?"

   The man looked at Voldemort then back at Harry. Harry didn't understand what was going on at all. What did Voldemort want to know? Did this poor man know that he was about to die? And why had he seem so scared when he had saw Harry? Was afraid of him because he read Rita Skeeter's articles on him? Was that it? Harry didn't know, but he had a feeling he was going to find out.

   The man looked back at Voldemort and made up his mind. "You won't get any information out of me, Voldemort. I'd rather die then tell you anything!" The man looked weak, tried, and hurt. Harry was taken aback a bit. He had never heard anyone say Voldemort's name beside himself, Dumbledore, Sirius and Remus. Even Wormtail had been to scare to say it. But what hurt the most was that the man looked like he was hurt and needed rest. Harry could tell that Voldemort had been torturing for a long time now. 

   Voldemort's eyes filled with rage. He was sick of playing games. He had been hoping that by bring Potter here he would have been able to persuaded the man to give him so information. Every Order member would do anything to protect a child and Harry Potter wasn't just an ordinary child. So for the last time he shouted, "Who's the one the Order protects?!"

   The man stood stubbornly, knowing that his life was at an end. The panic Harry had seen earlier was gone and no emotion could be seen on his face. The man took in a breath and said calmly, "Go to Hell, Voldemort."

   Voldemort flared with anger. "Right after you! Avada Kedavra!!" The green light shot out of his wand and impacted the poor man.

   Harry heard nothing more then a scream as he shot up right in bed drenched with sweat. His scar burned sharply on his forehead and he was breathing as though he had just run a mile. He could still feel the after effects of the Cruciatus curse running through his body, but there wasn't much he could do about that.

    Harry pushed some hair out of his face and began to do something that he would never have done in public. He cried. He was tired of fighting Voldemort and of watching people suffer and die in his dreams and can't do anything to help them. He just wished he could have a normal life without Voldemort and all the pain that came with him. He wished he could have … a family.

   Harry shook his head to clear his thoughts. His family was dead and there was nothing he could do about that now. But then where did it come from? Harry was feeling the same love flow through him again like every time he was upset or his Uncle was beating him. It was comforting and seemed to give him strength. Harry aced to know where it came from, but he knew for some reason that he might never find out.

   Sighing, he pulled back the covers, got out of bed and ran to the window. Everything seemed normal as could be as he looked out as Privet Drive. Nothing unusual could be seen at all and to Harry's relief, no Voldemort. The only thing he could hear was the soft breeze outside and the loud snores from Dudley next door. 

   Harry sank into the chair by his desk still out of breath. His scar didn't hurt as much as it had before, but it still burned dully on his forehead. Then Harry's thought's traveled back to his dream.

   It had seemed so weird. At first he had thought it was real because Voldemort had seen him and talked to him and it had all started in his room. Then he remembered the Death Eaters. They had been chanting around him in a circle. Maybe Voldemort had found away to get to he using his dreams. Maybe what the Death Eaters had been chanting had been some sort of spell to bring his unconscious mind to Voldemort and make him visible. God, Harry hoped not. It was bad enough he had to watch people die and be tortured in his dreams. He really didn't want to start having midnight talks with Voldemort.

   Harry then did the only thing he could think of. He pulled out a blank piece of parchment after clearing an area on his desk and started to write a letter to Sirius telling him what had happened.

   By the time he finished the letter, it was 6:30 and the sun was starting to rise. Harry picked the letter up in his hands and quickly read over it.

_Dear Sirius,_

_   You told me to tell you if my scar ever hurt again, so that's what I'm doing. I had this dream where I was sitting in bed thinking when me window burst open and Voldemort came in. I was then transported to a forest where Death Eaters had surrounding me. They seemed to be chanting some sort of spell under their breath though I have no idea what it was. _

_   Voldemort was talking to some man in blue robes that had a golden Phoenix emblem. He asked him 'Who's the one the Order protects?' whatever that means, and when he refused to answer, Voldemort killed him._

_   That's when I woke up and my scar was hurting bad. The funny thing is that everyone there could see me, and Voldemort spoke to me saying 'nice of you to join us, Potter'. That's never happened before. I think Voldemort may have found away to get to me through some spell or something. As far as I know, he can't hurt me but I really don't want to have to test that theory. Please help, Sirius. I'm not sure what I should do._

_                                                                                 Harry_

   Harry knew the letter made it sound like he was scared, but in truth, he was. He felt like rewriting it, but he didn't have time. If the Dursleys' got up and found him sending letters, he'd be dead and frankly he'd like to push today's beating until much later, thank you very much.

   So with that he folded the letter and sealed it. Harry then slowly got up and head over to Hedwig as quietly as possible. He pocked her softly, trying to wake her up. "Hedwig. Hedwig, wake up. I need you to deliver a letter for me."

   Hedwig fluttered her wings in annoyance. She didn't like waking up this early. She looked at Harry with her big amber eyes in annoyance, but once she saw the look on his face, she realized that this was important.

   Harry tied the letter to her leg and said, "I need you to take this to Sirius as quickly as you can. It's important." Once Harry finished, Hedwig nipped his finger affectionately then took flight.

   Harry watched her slowly disappear into the sky and hoped that she got to Sirius soon. Then he turned and walked over to his closet and started to get dressed. He figured he could then try to get some more of his homework done before Breakfast and the long day of chores.

   He sighed. "At least it may keep my mind off things." And with that, he sat at his desk and began to take out his work. He had to write a two feet long essay on Human Animagus. He knew that if he didn't do it know. He would probably never get it done. He couldn't risk being caught doing his homework during the day and his night would be page with nightmares. Not to mention that he didn't know how bad Uncle Vernon would hurt him today. H didn't have a doubt that his Uncle would hurt him. It happened everyday and he would only ever get away from it if he went back to Hogwarts, Sirius got free and could come and get him, or if Dumbledore allowed him to go to the Weasleys for the rest of the summer. All of which weren't happing any time soon.

  He sighed and opened his textbook. He needed to try and get his mind off of things, though he knew it was hopeless. Silently, he stared out the window into the dark night sky and prayed that help came soon cause he didn't know how much longer it would be before Voldemort or something else came and killed him. He closed his eyes._ 'Please Sirius, Help!'_


	3. Secrets Reveled

AN: Hey guys! Thanks for all the reviews. They were great. I'm really sorry about the spelling mistakes. I really want word back. A special Thanks goes out to SweetPnut731. I really enjoyed your review and I'm flattered by the comment. I didn't think this story would be any good to tell you the truth.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, the characters of places. I'm only borrowing in them. I also don't own the title. The fifth book isn't out yet and I'm disclaiming it right now so no body sue me. Hope you all have fun reading the story!  
  
  
  
  


.~:Chapter Two - Secrets Reveled:~.

   Harry was just finishing his Transfiguration essay when he heard his Uncle Vernon. "Get down here this minute, boy, and make Breakfast! Dudley's starving!" Harry silently laughed to himself. Dudley had enough fat on him to last him for a year.

   Harry sighed and put his essay away in his trunk before heading downstairs. When he entered the kitchen, the Dursleys' didn't even raise their heads. They completely ignored him. Harry didn't mind. He preferred it when they ignored him.

   Harry walked over to the stove and started to cook up breakfast. He was acutely glad that Dudley was no longer on his diet. He lost only two pounds from when he started it last summer to the beginning of this summer. So Aunt Petuina decided to stop it since it wasn't doing anything.

   The Dursleys' were all sitting at the table watching the news when Harry came over carrying their breakfast. He had just set it on the table when a special report came on.

   "...More attacks have been counted as the death toll is slowly starting to rise. Every victim seems to be in a state of pure horror. As to who's behind these awful attacks no one is sure. We will have more on this news-breaking story as it comes in. In other news today..."

   Harry stood still staring at the screen. Did he just hear what he thought he heard? Or was he just imagining it. It was a good thing he had placed the plates on the table or other wise he would have dropped them.

   "How horrible. I hope the people behind this are caught before they start coming our way." Aunt Petuina said, as she started to dish out the food. Harry just sat down and ate his breakfast quietly.

   "Don't worry, Petuina. The police will handle it." Uncle Vernon said, taking a sip of his coffee.

   Harry suppressed a laugh. The police couldn't do anything to stop Voldemort. Only Dumbledore and the rest of the Wizarding world could do anything about it. But unfortunately, Fudge was being a stupid idiot and decided not to listen to a word he or Dumbledore said about Voldemort being back.

   Harry finished his breakfast and was about to start cleaning up when Uncle Vernon stopped him. "You listen to me, boy. We're having very important guests coming over later this afternoon and after what happened a few years ago with the Mason, I don't want you anywhere near here. After your chores are done I want you to clear off for a couple of hours and if I hear anything about your abnormality from the neighbors, you'll get it. Do I make myself clear?" Uncle Vernon eyed him evilly.

   Harry looked at his Uncle. "Yes, Uncle Vernon." Harry felt relived. He could finally get out of this god-forsaken house for a while.

   He started for the sink. Then, suddenly, the kitchen window burst magical open and two owls flew in through the window. Aunt Petuina started screaming at the top of her lungs as the two owls started to circle the room. Uncle Vernon grabbed a broom and tried to hit the owls.

   Harry noticed both owls were carrying letters and he noticed that the smaller owl of the two was Pig, Ron's owl. "Stop!" Harry yelled to his Uncle who continued to try and hurt the owls with the broom. At that moment, the larger owl dropped its letter into Harry's hands and flew out the window. Pig came down and perched on Harry's shoulder, still carrying his letter.

   Uncle Vernon's face turned bright red with anger. "How dare you bring those abnormalities into our home! Get that dame bird out of here and then get to your chores!" Harry didn't need to be told twice.

   Grabbing Pig, he was out of there faster then you could say 'owl'. Harry went to his room and closed the door. Then he untied the letter from Pig, who hooted with pride, and sat down to read the letters. They were from Hermione and Ron.

   Taking Ron's letter, he opened it and began to read the hardly legible writing:

_Dear Harry,_

_   How are you? I hope things with the Muggles haven't been too bad. Mum's still asking Dumbledore if you can come, but he says that your safer where you are for the time being._

_   Dad's been working like mad. He's been trying to convince as many Ministry members as he can that You-Know-Who has returned, but they all seem to think he's mad. Who knew there were so many idiots working there?_

_   Anyways, that's all the news I've heard so far. More like I over heard so for. Mum doesn't want us to know anything. I guess she thinks we wouldn't be able to handle it. Well, hope to see you soon!_

_                                                                                         Ron_

   Harry sat back and stared at his letter. He knew that Ron hadn't heard about all the attacks and, in truth, was happy Ron didn't know. Ron would probably overreact and start having nightmares about Voldemort coming into the Dursleys and killing him. It was safer that he didn't know.

   Harry then turned to Hermione's letter and opened it. Luckily, he could read her writing, as it was very neat and tidy.

_Dear Harry,_

_    Oh God, are you all right? I haven't heard from you but I hope that's just because the Dursleys' won't let you send any letter and not because something's happened to you. I heard about all those attacks and Dumbledore confirmed that there caused by You-Know-Who. I heard he's going mad hunting for you._

_   I heard he wants to kill you to prove that he's as powerful as before and that you wouldn't stand in his way again. Oh, Harry, Please be careful._

_   I'll keep you posted if I find out anything more. But until then watch out for yourself._

_                                                                                     Hermione_

Harry sighed. He should have known Hermione knew something was up. But for some reason didn't feel un-happy that she knew. He guessed it was because she wanted to try and help him and she wasn't overreacting like Ron would have.

   "Oh, well." Harry stood and paced the letters in his trunk where he kept all their letters. He then headed off to start his chores.

   Through the rest of the morning and most of the afternoon, he worked, with only the thought of his walk to keep him working steadily. The sooner he finished, the sooner he could leave. Although his wounds still hurt, he tried his best to finish up quickly.

   By some miracle, Harry was able to get all of his chores done without getting hit once by Uncle Vernon. He just had one more thing left to do. Wash the car. He went into the dark messy garage and grabbed a bucket full of warm, soppy water, a sponge and the hose.

   He heaved it all out to the driveway and started to wash the car. He washed in silence, trying not to think about anything. Especially what happened last night. He hoped that his letter reached Sirius soon. The thought of what happened last night happening again was just too hard to bare. He really didn't what to have to do it again.

   He was just putting everything away when Uncle Vernon came out into the garage. Harry thought he was going to hit him because of the look on his face, but was mistaken when he heard his Uncle say, "Hurry up, boy! Our guests will be here any minute and I want you long gone before then. Get a move on!"

   "Yes Uncle Vernon." Harry quickly finished putting everything away the walked swiftly away from the house as his Uncle went back inside.

   Harry sighed in relief. He was so happy to be out of the house. Finally he could actually do stuff without being watched closely by Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petuina. There was no one to yell at him or hit him for dropping something, or no one to punished him hard just for making fun of Dudley.

   He walked slowly down Privet Drive deciding to go to the park. But at he walked, he realized that there was no way to keep his mind off of what had happened to him last night, when Voldemort had killed that poor man.

   Harry silently wondered if Sirius had gotten his letter. He hoped he did. Cause he just didn't know what to do anymore. What if Voldemort finally found away to reach him? He could just be overreacting, but something in his mind told him that he wasn't and that Voldemort might have finally found a way to get to him.

   Harry sighed. He was tired of fighting Voldemort. He had already faced him three times. Not including the time he fought against Voldemort's past self, Tom Riddle, or last night. In total, he had faced Voldemort five times and lived.

   He wondered what did he do? Voldemort had been after him his whole life, but why? He didn't even understand why Voldemort wanted to kill him in the first place. His parents had died protecting him. Voldemort wasn't after them. He just wanted Harry.

   "And my parents are dead because of me." Harry lowered his head and stared at his feet as he walked. Everyone around him either seems to die or get hurt. He was a danger magnet. If your friends with Harry Potter, expected to be killed or hurt really badly. First his Parents died and now it was... Cedric.

   Harry shook his head. He had to stop thinking like this. He couldn't help anyone if he started thinking like that. _'It's not your fault! It's Voldemort's'!'_ He thought to himself, but didn't believe it at all. Harry blamed himself for all their deaths. He couldn't help it. If it weren't for him, they would probably all still be alive.

   Harry was just about to turn into the park when out of the corner of his eye, he thought he saw the swoosh of a cloak. He turned just in time to see a figure disappear behind a house on the other side of the street. _'No, It can't be,'_ Harry thought, panicking.

   He ran to the other side of the street not looking for cars at all. He just had to get to the other side of the street. Harry got there and ran around the corner the figure had disappeared behind.

   Harry looked up and down the street. A few cars were parked here and there on the sides of the road. A bunch of Children were paying tag in the front yard of an old house a few houses down. But Harry could see nothing out of the ordinary. 

   Harry felt butterflies in his stomach as he figured out who he saw. "Voldemort knows where I am." He said to himself. For the cloaked figure he had seen was a Death Eater by the name of.... "Wormtail."

   Sirius sat quietly reading the Daily Prophet in Lupin's kitchen. He sighed as he read over yet another about another attack from Voldemort. But according to this, Voldemort wasn't behind these attacks. He was.

   "I've blamed me for another attack." Sirius called out to Remus who was currently at his desk in the sitting room writing something.

   "Don't think on it, Padfoot. You know you didn't do it. Harry knows your innocent so that's all that really matters." Remus called back.

   Sirius stared at the picture of himself in the paper. "Yes, but I still don't like being blamed for something that Voldemort did." He sighed.

   He turned towards the window and almost fell out of his chair when he saw Hedwig perched there waiting. He took a deep breath, "Hedwig, don't ever do that again."

   Hedwig hooted in amusement before flying over and dropping Harry's letter in his lap. She then perched on the table and started to nibble on one of the tea biscuits.

   Sirius picked up the letter and opened it. He always loved hearing from his Godson, but lately he had been so busy with what Dumbledore had asked him to do that Harry didn't send any letters.

   Sirius read only the first line of the letter and began to worry. _'This can't be good,'_ He thought as he quickly read the rest of the letter. "Remus, come here." Sirius said urgently.

   Remus walked into the room thinking Sirius wanted to complain more about the article in the paper, when he saw the worried look that crossed his friends face. "What is it, Sirius?"

   Sirius stared up at him. "Harry." He simply said and handed the letter to Remus. Remus quickly read over the letter and saw what Sirius was worried about. "I think you should inform Dumbledore. It seems like Harry may need help. He can't stay there anymore."

   "I think your right." He got up, went straight to Remus desk and took out two blank sheets of parchment. "Remus, hand me Harry's letter. I'm going to send it to Dumbledore."

   Remus nodded and handed Sirius back the letter. Sirius quickly wrote a letter to Harry, and then wrote a letter to Dumbledore. "Hedwig." Sirius said heading back to the owl. She looked up at him. "Bring this back to Harry, okay. And be quick." Hedwig let Sirius tie the latter on easily then flew out the window.

   Then Sirius turned towards Lupin's owl. The owl perked up when she realized she needed to deliver a letter. "Take this to Dumbledore, Annabel, quickly." He said, quickly attaching the letter to her leg. Annabel gave a soft hoot and was gone.

   Remus walked over and put a reassuring arm around his friend. "Harry will be all right. Dumbledore won't let anything happen to him."

   Sirius nodded and looked out the window. "I hope your right."

   "Albus, you're not actually thinking about stationing them around the school. No one's even suppose to know why there here, but they will if..."

   Dumbledore raised his hand to stop her. "Minerva, don't worry. No one will see them. And if they are seen I will simply explain to the students that they are here to help protect the school."

   McGonagoll shook her head. "But Albus..."

   She was interrupted when there was a knock on the office door. "Come in." Dumbledore said calmly.

   The door swung open and Professor Snape walked in carrying a letter addressed to Dumbledore. He walked the length of the office and handed the letter to Dumbledore, who was sitting behind his desk.

   As Dumbledore took the letter, Snape said, "It seems that Mr. Potter isn't as safe as we thought."

   Dumbledore quickly opened the letter and read it. His face went from clam to completely worried.

   "What is it, Albus?" McGonagoll said, her own worries increasing.

   Dumbledore stared down at the letter. "It seems that Mundungus Fletcher ran into a bit of trouble last night. His was killed...by Voldemort."

   McGonagoll gasped in shock. "Oh this is quite horror, but what does it have to do with Harry?"

   Dumbledore sighed. "We had Mundungus bugged, Minerva. We were able to tape the whole conversation between him and Voldemort. Harry's voice appeared on the tape and Voldemort addressed him."

   McGonagoll stood there, bewildered. "But how? Harry's with the Dursleys', isn't he?"

   Dumbledore leaned back into his chair. "Harry is still with them, Minerva. I don't know how Harry's voice ended up on the tape, but he was there."

   At that moment, a brown owl swooped through the opened window and landed on Dumbledore's desk. Annabel dropped the letter into Dumbledore's hands. He opened it to find two letters. On to him, from Sirius, and the other to Sirius, from Harry. He read both quickly. "It seems Harry told Sirius."

   "What's it say Albus?" McGonagoll asked.

   "I think Voldemort's found a way to get to Harry without setting foot in the house, but Harry won't be safe there for long." He handed the letters to McGonagoll. As she read, Dumbledore took out some parchment, wrote a quick letter to Sirius and sent it with Annabel. Then he took out another piece of Parchment and started writing to Harry.

   "What can be done about Potter's safety, Albus?" Snape asked calmly.

   Dumbledore finished the letter and looked up. "Harry's in no immediate danger, Severus. I've sent someone to get him and he'll be brought here where we can keep an eye on him."

   Dumbledore then stood and tied the letter to Fawkes and whispered something softly into his ear. Fawkes sang one note in response. "Go to Harry's quickly, Fawkes. His life many depend on it." Fawkes sang another note and flew out the window at an unbelievable speed. 

   "Severus, I need you to contact our spies at the Ministry. Tell them to make sure that no one finds out if magic is used at Privet Drive. I've given Harry permission to use magic in thee event that they are attacked and I don't want the Ministry down his back if he does use magic."

   Snape nodded and headed out the door. Once he was gone, McGonagoll turned to Dumbledore. "Will Harry be safe?"

   Dumbledore sighed and stared out the window. He looked his age for once as he was tired and worn out. "I don't know, Minerva. I just don't know."

.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.  
  
AN: Please Review guys! Please give me suggestions. I really need them and I want to try and integrate your ideas into my story. Also I'm still looking for an editor if you're interested. My email is serenity_endymon23@hotmail.com. I also have an update list for my stories. I mostly write Sailor Moon stories, but I'm so busy with this one that this is the only story that will be updated. If you want to join go to: Please Review!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 ****


	4. The Plot Thickens

Sorry it took so long to get this cahpter out. I've just been so busy with school and I was also trying to find a new editer which I have. Thanks Luke! Anyways here it is!  
  
Disclamer: We al know I don't own Harry Potter but the plot and some of the characters, which you will meet later on, are mine! Please ask me if you want to use them! Enjoy the story!!  
.~:Chapter Three - The Plot Thickens:~.  
The sun was just starting to set by the time Harry got back to number four Privet Drive. Luckily, the Dursley's guests were gone and as Harry came in through the door, he could smell that Aunt Petunia was busy making dinner.  
  
Harry sighed and headed up to his room. He knew he had seen Wormtail, knew that Voldemort now knew where he was. He wasn't safe here anymore. As he reached the door to his bedroom, he decided he'd write another letter to Sirius telling him about Wormtail.  
  
As he opened the door all thoughts of writing to Sirius left as he saw Hedwig perched on his desk with a letter. Harry ran to her and took the letter. It was from Sirius. 'Oh, please be good news,' he thought as he ripped the letter open and began to read.  
  
Dear Harry,  
  
I've received your letter and relayed it on to Dumbledore. This is serious Harry. I won't lie to you. Hopefully Dumbledore will think of something. You should hear from him soon. Just sit tight Harry and try not to worry yourself too much.  
  
Sirius  
  
Harry sighed and sat on his bed. 'Well, that can't be good,' he thought. Sirius sounded just as worried as he was.  
  
Harry didn't have time to ponder the letter anymore because as he looked up at his desk, Fawkes was suddenly there staring at him intently.  
  
Fawkes let out one quivering note and dropped the letter in Harry's lap. Harry felt something quiet strange when Fawkes sang that note. He didn't know what it was, but it left once Fawkes flew out the window.  
  
Harry turned his attention to the letter Fawkes had given him. It was from Dumbledore. Harry sighed in relief. He knew Dumbledore would know what to do. He opened the letter and began to read.  
  
Dear Harry,  
  
Sirius has informed me of your dream and I believe you are right in thinking Voldemort has found away to get to you. I am therefore giving you permission to use magic and you should keep your wand with you at all times.  
  
Secondly, I'm sending someone to pick you up since it is no longer safe for you there. They will bring you here to Hogwarts where you should be safe. In the meantime, watch out for yourself. I'll be seeing you soon.  
  
Albus Dumbledore  
  
Just as Dumbledore had said, Harry quickly got up, ran to his trunk and pulled out his wand. He figured Dumbledore had probably set something up at the Ministry so they wouldn't expel him from Hogwarts if he used magic.  
  
He pocked his wand and read over Dumbledore's letter again. He wondered how long it would be for whoever Dumbledore sent to get here. He hoped it wouldn't be long. He really didn't want to think about what would happen if Voldemort attacked him there.  
  
He stumbled back to his desk and sat on the chair. Hedwig was still perched on his desk and hooted softly to him in a comforting manner. Harry turned his attention towards her. "Why is my life so complicated Hedwig?" He knew she couldn't answer, but he felt he could still confide in her. It wasn't like she would go tell anyone.  
  
Hedwig fluttered down into his lap, looking up at him with her big amber eyes. She noticed he looked scared and worried and she wanted to comfort him. Harry absently started to stroke her felling that it comforted him.  
  
"I wish things would sometimes just stop. I'm sick and tired of being chased by Voldemort and I'm sick of fighting him. It's because of him my life is a mess, but why? Why does he want me so much?" Harry sighed as Hedwig continued to stare up at him. "To bad no one can answer these questions for me."  
  
Hedwig looked at Harry in an understanding manner, well, as understand as an owl could look. She had watched Harry since they had come back from Hogwarts and knew how much all of this bothered him. For an owl, she really was quite intelligent.  
  
"Get down here boy!!!"Uncle Vernon called from downstairs. Harry sighed. He really didn't feel like eating, but he knew he might not get feed again for a while cause he seemed to always find some way to tick his Uncle off.  
  
"I've got to go eat now Hedwig. I'll try and bring you something to eat." Hedwig seemed to understand. She left Harry's lap and flew across the room to her cage to take a nap.  
  
Harry got up and headed downstairs. The Dursleys were all in a deep discussion about their guests from this afternoon when Harry sat down. Aunt Petunia handed him a plate with the smallest piece of steak he had ever seen. He didn't complain though. He was use to this.  
  
"They seemed like very nice people, Vernon. I think we made a very good impression on them." Petunia said, handing Dudley his plate, which had a mountain of food on it. He took it from her greedily and started woofing it down.  
  
"That's the point, Petunia. I think I'll make a very good deal off of them." Uncle Vernon shoved a piece of steak into his mouth  
  
Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia seem to keep rambling on about their guests, but Harry wasn't listening anymore. His mind seemed to be elsewhere. His stomach felt like it was being squeezed tightly and he was beginning to feel cold all over. 'What's going on?' Harry thought to himself. It was then he realized that his Aunt and Uncle weren't talking anymore.  
  
Harry looked up at them. They seemed to have gone quite still, until Harry realized they were shaking. 'No! Please, don't kill Harry. Please!' His mothers voice echoed in his head. 'No!' Harry screamed in his mind.  
  
He grabbed his wand out of his pocket and started focusing on a happy memory as he stood. It was then it happened. The front door burst open as Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia and Dudley screamed. Harry stared at the door and watched the Demantor walk forward. His mother and Father's voices screaming in his head.  
  
Harry raised his wand at the Dementor and cried, "EXPECTO PATRONUM!!!" A silver stag erupted from the end of Harry's wand and galloped towards the Dementor, which fell back, and exploded into a show of red sparks.  
  
Luckily no more followed. Harry watched the silver stag gallop back towards him then disappear. He was glad he could no longer hear his mother or father screaming. Hearing them scream those words brought back bad memories.  
  
"What do you think your doing boy!" Harry turned his head to stare at his Uncle, but instantly regretted it. Uncle Vernon's hand came down hard on Harry as he hit him in the side of the head.  
  
"How dare you put my family in danger! How dare you display your abnormality in this house!" This time he punched Harry hard in the ribs. Uncle Vernon grabbed Harry by his hair and started dragging him upstairs. He threw Harry violently into his room and kicked him hard in the side.  
  
"You will stay in here until I see fit, you ungrateful little brat!!!" Uncle Vernon spat and slammed the door shut.  
  
Harry heard Uncle Vernon lock the door tightly then head back downstairs. Harry lay there gasping on the floor. 'I just saved their lives and this is what I get,' Harry thought to himself. He wasn't surprised though. He was just glad Dumbledore had given him permission to use magic in the first place; otherwise they'd probably all be dead.  
  
Harry slowly got to his feet and painfully made his way over to his bead. Every bone and muscle in his body ached with the effort, but he finally made it. He fell with a thump and lay there quietly thinking about everything.  
  
"Please send help soon," He said as he drifted into a dreamless sleep.  
  
"Sirius, calm down. I'm sure Harry's fine." Remus said, in a vain attempt to comfort his friend. Sirius had done nothing but worry and pace since he sent those letters and Remus thought he was going to make a trench in the middle of his kitchen.  
  
"How can you be sure Remus? If Voldemort has found away to get to him, he would attack right away." Sirius explained still pacing. He was worried about Harry. What if something happened to him? He had promised Lily and James that if anything happened to them, he would make sure Harry stayed out of harms way. It was bad enough he couldn't keep that promise for thirteen years of Harry's life, but he wasn't going to break that promise again.  
  
"I know Sirius, I know. But Dumbledore won't let anything happen to him after all Harry is..."  
  
"I know very well what Harry is Remus, but he's also my godson and I can't help but be worried. If anything happened to him, I don't know what I'd do." Sirius stopped pacing and lend against a wall. Yes, he knew Harry was important, but he was only a child. He was the closest thing he had to a son and he'd be dammed if anything happened to him.  
  
Remus sighed. "I'm worried too Sirius, but Harry will be fine. Trust Dumbledore." And as if on cue, Lupin's owl came flying in through the window and dropped a letter on the table.  
  
Sirius ran to it and quickly ripped it open. It was short, but told Sirius all he needed to know.  
  
Dear Sirius,  
  
Harry is indeed no longer safe with his Aunt and Uncle. Please go get him and bring him here to Hogwarts. He'll be safer here.  
  
Albus Dumbledore  
  
He handed the letter to Remus and grabbed his cloak while Remus read the letter. Remus sighed as he watched Sirius throw his cloak on. "Do be careful Padfoot, and bring Harry back safely."  
  
Sirius nodded to his friend. "I intend to Moony. I'll see you back at Hogwarts then." Remus nodded and Sirius headed out the door. "Do keep Harry safe Sirius." He whispered as his friend disappeared into the night.  
  
Harry lay awoke in bed, leaning against his headboard. His side hurt and he had an awful headache. 'I get all of this for saving their lives,' He thought wearingly. But he knew that didn't matter to his Uncle. To Uncle Vernon every single last thing that was part of the Magical World was bad. He didn't see any difference between good people like Dumbledore and bad people like Voldemort. They were all the same to him.  
  
"Why me?" Harry whispered to himself silently. He knew Voldemort knew where he was. He had seen Wormtail and this attack just proved it. Voldemort would soon be coming after him.  
  
Harry looked at his desk and saw that he had left Dumbledore and Sirius's letters on it. He reached over painfully, took the letters and read them over again. They seemed to help comfort him. He knew Dumbledore would do everything in his power to help him and that meant a lot to Harry.  
  
Harry drifted off to sleep again, with thoughts of Hogwarts and his Godfather to keep him company. The letters lay open in his lap, the moonlight sparkling over the letters until a shadow obscured them.  
  
Fawkes came silently into the room and settled himself right beside Harry's bed on the desk. The fiery red bird gazed down at Harry protectively. Dumbledore had given him instructions to watch over Harry until he got to Hogwarts and that's what he was going to do.  
  
REVIEW!!!! REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I think you get the point. Please, review!!! 


	5. Escape

AN: Here's chapter four everyone. I've finally got Microsoft Word back which means most of the spelling mistakes should be gone, unless of course Word doesn't see it. Sorry it took so long to get out but I've been busy. Enjoy!

.~:Chapter Four - Escape:~.

   Harry sat quietly in his room. His wounds and bruises were finally just starting to heal, but Harry had a feeling that they weren't going to get very for this time. Uncle Vernon would see to that.

   Uncle Vernon had kept Harry locked up for two days so far and he felt for sure that he would be kept in here longer. He was starving. He hadn't had anything to eat since the attack.

   He still couldn't believe that he was locked up in here. If it weren't for him, they'd all be dead right now. If that Dementor didn't do it, Voldemort would have. Harry was convinced that Voldemort had sent that Dementor to get him. And if that was the case, then it was only a matter of time before he sent someone else.

   Hedwig fluttered out of her cage to where Harry was on his bed. She looked up at him worryingly. She hadn't had any food in two days either, but it didn't bother her. She knew Harry really needed food more then she did.

   Harry reached up a trembling hand and stroked her snow-white feathers. It gave his so much comfort considering she was that only creature in this house that didn't filch at the sight of him.

   "Oh, Hedwig, what am I going to do?" He asked, knowing she couldn't answer back.

   Hedwig looked up at him with her large amber eyes before turning and fluttering over to his desk. Harry watched as she pushed papers aside with her beck and picked up a piece of parchment. She flew back to him and dropped it in his lap before settling down beside him.

   Harry picked up the piece of parchment and realized that it was the letter from Dumbledore. He read it over again and sighed, "I don't know if their coming or not, Hedwig. It's been two days and no one's shown up." Harry said in frustration.

   Meanwhile downstairs the doorbell rang. "Dudley, would you be a daring and answer the door?" Aunt Petunia called to him from the kitchen.

   Dudley sighed. "Fine." He answered dully as he stood and walked to the front door, his five chins wobbling as he walked. He opened the door to find a man dressed in black robes. He stared up at the man and panicked.

   Dudley screamed as he saw the man's face and backed up. "What's going on here?!" Uncle Vernon yelled, as he walked into the hall. He too stopped dead in his tracks when he saw whom the man was that was standing at his doorstep.

   Sirius only smiled. "I'm here to pick up Harry Potter." He said patiently. He could see the looks of disgust that crossed their faces and then he remembered Harry telling him about his relatives.

   Uncle Vernon walked cautiously up to Sirius and said, "The boy's not here."

   Sirius immediately hoped that they hadn't sent him away with anyone else. "Oh," he said. "Could you tell me where I could find him then?"

   Harry heard the doorbell ring, but stayed where he was. It wouldn't do any good to get his hopes up if it was just another guest of his Uncle's. That was when he heard it. "I'm here to pick up Harry Potter."_ 'Sirius?'_ Harry thought to himself. It was almost to good to be true. His godfather was here.

   Harry carefully pulled himself of the bed, still a little sore from the beating two days ago, and painfully made his way over to his door. He sat down next to it and listened intensively. "The boy isn't here." Harry scowled to himself._ 'Damn Uncle Vernon!' Harry thought to himself. What if Sirius believed him and left? What would he do then?_

   "Oh," He heard Sirius say. "Could you tell me where I could find him then?" Harry couldn't take it anymore.

   Harry pounded on his door as hard as he could and yelled painfully, "Sirius, I'm up here!!!"

   Sirius heard his Godson and his eyes filled with anger. Uncle Vernon took a cautious step back. "Where is he, Dursley?!"

  Uncle Vernon was sure he was going to die by the look in Sirius's eyes. Now he knew how wrong he was to try and trick a wizard. "Upp...ss... ssstaris." He managed to say.

  Without another word, Sirius ran up the stairwell. He came to the landing and heard pounding against the door to his right. Sirius walked up to the door. "Harry?"

   "I'm in here." His voice was muffled through the door but Sirius could still hear the pain in his voice. _'Damn those Dursleys. They'll pay for this!'_ He still couldn't believe how anyone could be this cruel and felt guilty for leaving Harry with these people.

   "Harry move away form the door." He said as he took his wand out. He knew they didn't have much time before the Death Eaters started showing up. He knew Voldemort would probably be watching this place like a hawk if he knew Harry was here.

   Harry did as he was told. He stood and moved away from the door slowly, as his back was still quite sore and his ribs hurt badly. He heard Sirius say an incantation that he couldn't make out. The door burst open with red sparks flying. Sirius walked in quickly.

   He embraced Harry as soon as he saw him. He was happy he had gotten there when he did or who knows what else those Dursleys would have done. "You okay?" He asked pulling away looking Harry up and down.

  "I'm fine." Harry answered quickly, but Sirius knew he was anything but okay. He was much smaller then he had been before he left Hogwarts and he had bruises on his face. Sirius also sensed the pain coming off of him and knew that his dreams weren't the only thing hurting him.

   Sirius shook his head. They would have to deal with his wounds later. Right now they needed to get out of there before Voldemort and a team of Death Eaters showed up. "Okay," Sirius said. "Come on, get your stuff together. We're leaving." Harry nodded and started rushing around his room grabbing his spell books and clothing.

  "Bring your stuff downstairs when you're finished." Sirius said. He headed back downstairs, but caught a brief glance at Harry's clothing and scowled. Those cloths were old and way too big for him. Damn those Dursleys! Sirius felt a surged of anger go through him as he eyed Uncle Vernon.

   Sirius came to the bottom of the landing and quickly shut the door before staring out the window to make sure no one was there. He was relieved to see that no Death Eater was in sight. But how much longer would that last?

   "What exactly are you doing here?" Uncle Vernon asked hotly.

   Sirius wheeled at him and Uncle Vernon wished he had never asked. "I'm here to take Harry somewhere safe and that's al you need to know." He answered back in the same tone Vernon had used.

   Uncle Vernon's face seemed to get redder with anger, if that was even possible. "You're not taking that boy anywhere!" He yelled.

   Sirius only chuckled. He knew that Harry had told the Dursley all about him, but they didn't realized that he was Sirius Black; the convicted murdered who escaped form Askaban. " And how do you suppose your going to stop me? I've killed thirteen people with one curse and if your not careful, you'll be dead where you stand."

   At that moment, Aunt Petunia was finally able to tear herself away from the cooking in the kitchen and came out into the hall. She caught one look at Sirius and screamed. "Sirius Black!!!"

   Sirius smiled. "Nice to see you too, Petunia." He said sarcastically.

   Finally Vernon relieved who he was talking too. "Your the boy's godfather. The convicted murder!"

   Sirius bowed. "At your service. Now what were you saying about Harry not going anywhere?" Sirius couldn't help but smile as he saw the look of terror that crossed Vernon's face.

   "FFFine. Thhheee Boyy cannn gggoo." Uncle Vernon stammered, trying to make it seem as though he wasn't afraid of Sirius.

   Sirius's face went back to being straight. He turned back to the window in the door and looked out. Still he saw no one. _'I don't like this. Voldemort was watching this house. I know it. He knows I'm here. Why isn't he doing anything?'_ Sirius thought to himself.

   "What are you doing?" Uncle Vernon asked, sounding like he thought Sirius was mad.

   Sirius sighed. "I'm making sure that I wasn't followed. Some dangerous people are after Harry. That's why I'm taking him away from here." Sirius continued to stare out the window. "You all should probably clear off for a few weeks. They'll kill you regardless if Harry's here or not."

   "WHAT?!!!" Uncle Vernon yelled. "THAT LITTLE BRAT HAS PUT MY FAMILY IN DANGER?!!!"

   Sirius whipped his head around and pulled out his wand. He was getting quite tired of this. "From what I've heard, Harry saved your lives from a Dementor a few days ago. So I wouldn't say anything bad about him if I were you." Sirius said sternly.

   Suddenly a crash was heard from upstairs and then, "Cruco!!!" Then there was screaming.

   "Harry!" Sirius yelled, quickly running up the stairs. When Sirius reached Harry's room, a Death Eater was standing by the window, with his wand pointed at Harry, who was withering on the floor screaming out in pain.

   Sirius raised his wand at the Death Eater and yelled "Expelliarmus!' A white light shot from the end of Sirius's wand and hit the Death Eather right on before it had time to reacted. The Death Eater staggered back and disappeared. 

   "Damn it! The wards are down!" At that moment Uncle Vernon decided to show up. When he saw the damage done to the room he quickly mad his way off to Harry, who was still panting on the floor. 

  "You ungrateful little brat!!! How dare you put my family in danger and damage our home!!!" He yelled kicking Harry as hard as he could. Harry screamed out in pain. "You freak!!! How dare you!!!!" He kicked Harry hard again and Harry started throwing up blood. Vernon probably would have continued, had it not been for Sirius. "Stupefy!!!" Uncle Vernon flew into the wall with such force that it shook the house. Sirius then quickly transfigured him into a turtle.

  Sirius lowered his wand and growled, "Damn Dursleys!" He then made his way to Harry and knelt down beside the wounded boy. Harry had stopped throwing up, but he didn't feel good at all. He felt sick and hurt. 

  "Harry, are you okay?" Sirius asked trying to help Harry sit up.

   Harry resisted the temptation to scream out in pain. "No." He managed to say through the pain.

  Sirius nodded. He stood and went to Harry's truck. He shrunk it and put it in his pocket. He then made his way over to Hedwig. He opened the cage and Hedwig stared up at him, curiously. "Go to Hogwarts, Hedwig. We'll be on our way there, k?" Hedwig nodded, spread her wings and left through the window.

   Sirius then went back to Harry. " I can't do much out your wounds now, Harry. They'll have to wait until we get somewhere safer then here, k?" Harry nodded as Sirius Picked him up.

   Sirius then stared down at the turtle Vernon who was still unconscious. With the flick of his wand, turtle Vernon shrunk and disappear, just to reappear in Sirius's pocket. _'I'll deal with him when we get to Hogwarts,' He thought to himself._

   Sirius carefully walked back downstairs still carrying Harry. Petunia screamed. Where's Vernon? What have you done with him?!"

   Sirius gave her a glare she would never forget. "Don't worry about him. You probably won't see him again once I'm done with him."

  Petunia stared at him in shock as he walked out the door, but Sirius didn't care. Right now he just need to worry about getting Harry some where safe for the night. 

 "How are we getting to Hogwarts?" Harry asked numbly from Sirius arms. He didn't exactly want his godfather to have to carry him, but knew that there was no way he would be able to walk on his own.

  Sirius looked down at him as they walked. "We're going to head towards London. I think the best way to get there is just to follow the train tracks of the Hogwarts express."

   Harry nodded. "Thanks, Sirius." Harry said faintly.

   "For what?" Sirius asked, still anger with the Dursleys.

   Harry looked up at him and met his gaze. "For getting me out of there."

   Sirius sighed and glanced up and down the street, making sure they weren't being followed. "I'm sorry that you had to live with those people Harry. But don't worry, you'll never have to go back there again."

   Harry couldn't believe his ears. He didn't have to go back to the Dursleys. "It sounded almost too good to be true. "You mean it?" Harry asked.

   Sirius looked down at Harry. "Yes, Harry. I'll make sure of it." He couldn't help but smile at the look that came over Harry's face.

   As the two of them headed down the street, there was someone watching them form the shadows. He cursed under his breath at seeing Harry alive. So he followed them from the shadows, his silver hand the only thing visible in the darkness.

.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.

AN: Do I really have to say it! I think I do! REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!!!!!!!!! Thanks!!!


	6. On The Move

AN: Here it is!!! The long awaited chapter five!!! I hope it's good enough for you all. Chapter six is with it too so that should bee enough for now!!! Enjoy!!!g  
  
.~:Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix:~. .~:By - Moonlight Snitch:~.  
  
.~:Chapter Five - On The Move:~.  
  
Remus Lupin walked down Molotov Drive, nervously glancing at all the house numbers. He was looking for number 32. Hermione Granger's home. He had reason to believe that her and Ron would be targets for Voldemort. He had a feeling that Voldemort would go after then not only because Hermione was Muggleborn and Ron's family Muggle lovers, but also because of the close bond of friendship that they shared with Harry.  
  
He was doing this without Dumbledore's consent, but he had informed Dumbledore about what he was going to do before leaving. Dumbledore would most likely agree with him, but he didn't have time to wait for a reply. Voldemort could attack them at any time.  
  
He finally reached number 32 and walked carefully up the driveway to the door, his old tattered robes blowing softly in the wind. He was still going over in his head exactly what he would say to them. He reached the door and nervously pushed some of his blond hair out of his face before he knocked.  
  
He heard footsteps coming towards the door, before it slowly creaked open a bit. A woman that looked exactly like Hermione, but a good deal older, answered the door. "Yes?" She asked.  
  
Remus smiled. "Hello. My name is Remus Lupin. I taught Hermione at Hogwarts a year ago. I was wondering if I could talk to you all. It's very important that I do."  
  
Mrs. Granger looked at him cautiously. 'Smart Woman. I see now where Hermione gets it,' Remus thought to himself.  
  
Finally Mrs. Granger nodded and opened the door wider to let him in. "Alright. Hermione will be down in a moment." She led him to the kitchen before heading off to get Hermione.  
  
Remus stood for a moment still trying to figure out exactly how he was going to tell them. Mr. Granger put down the paper he had been reading and offered Remus a seat. Remus took it gratefully, having been moving around a lot since Sirius left to get Harry.  
  
"Professor Lupin? What are you doing here?" Remus turned around in his seat to find that Hermione and Mrs. Granger had returned.  
  
Remus sighed. "I think you better sit down Hermione." He said in a tone that told her that this couldn't be good news.  
  
Hermione sat down in the chair beside his and Mrs. Granger went to stand by her husband. Remus sighed and gathered his thoughts. "This may come as a bit of a shock to you," He began. "But I have reason to believe that Hermione is in danger." He saw the affect his words had one them. Hermione, though, did not seem surprised.  
  
"But how?" Mrs. Granger asked.  
  
Remus sighed. "A evil wizard named Voldemort, who was supposedly killed fourteen years ago, has come back, and I have reason to believe he will come after her."  
  
"But why? What does Hermione have to do with anything?" Mr. Granger asked, feeling quite shocked that someone would want to harm his daughter.  
  
"It's Harry, isn't it? Voldemort's coming after me because I'm friends with Harry, isn't he?" Hermione said, finally looked up at her old professor.  
  
Remus nodded his head. "Nothing ever gets past you does it Hermione. But yes. I think Voldemort will come after both you and Ron to get to Harry. But that's not the only reason. Just because your friends with Harry just makes you even bigger targets. He'd come after you both anyways because you are Muggle-born and Ron's whole family are Muggle-lovers."  
  
Mrs. Granger felt as though she was going to faint. "What can we do then? There has to be something."  
  
Remus looked up at her. "That what I came here for. I think it's best if Hermione comes with me to the Wesley's' and then when Dumbledore gives the word, we'll make our way to Hogwarts."  
  
Hermione's head shot up. "But what about mum and dad?" She asked, not wanted to live her parents behind. What if some Death Eaters came and tortured then killed them? She couldn't let that happen.  
  
"I think it's best if they clear off for awhile, Hermione." Then he addressed the Grangers. "I think it's best if you leave soon and it's probably better if you didn't come back here 'til the school term at Hogwarts starts. By then they'll have either attack here already or are not going to attack at all." Both the Grangers nodded.  
  
"I better go pack my things then. "Hermione said before leaving the room to grab her things. As she left the room her mind was in a whirl. She knew something like this could happen, she just never expected it too.  
  
And Harry. What about Harry? Professor Lupin hadn't mentioned really anything about what was happening to Harry. What if something bad had happened too him and Lupin just didn't want to tell her right now? What if Voldemort had already gotten to him?  
  
She tried to clear her thoughts as she stood by her desk, grabbing the last few pieces of homework that she had left out. Normally by now they'd be all finished, but she had been so preoccupied with what had happened to Harry that she really couldn't think straight.  
  
She quickly put the last pieces of her work into her truck and shut it. She then locked Crookshanks in his cat box and started to bring him and her truck down stairs. Lupin met her at the door and after saying good-bye to her parents; she and Professor Lupin started making their way down the street. Hermione held the box with her cat while Lupin had charmed her truck to be feather light and was now carrying it down the street.  
  
They walked in silence, but wound up in their own thoughts until Hermione asked the question she had been dying to ask, "Professor, is Harry alright?"  
  
Lupin sighed. He had been hoping to avoid this question, cause he really didn't have an answer. He wasn't sure if Harry was all right. Hell, he didn't even know if Sirius was all right. All he knew was that Sirius had gone to get Harry, but he didn't know if Sirius had gotten to Harry or if something had happened. It had been two days since Sirius had left and even though Remus knew it would take Sirius a while to get there because of the Ministry, he was still worried.  
  
"To tell you the truth, Hermione, I'm not sure. What I do know though is that Sirius left two days ago to go get Harry form the Dursleys and to bring him to Hogwarts. But I don't think anything has happened. Sirius will keep Harry safe. Try not to worry too much." 'Yeah right. Then why are you so worried?" A little voice in the back of his head said.  
  
Hermione nodded as they got into Remus's car. She wondered why Remus had a car and why they were using it. As id sensing her question, Remus said, "We're traveling by car to keep a low profile in case someone is watching out for you. Plus it's just too dangerous right now to use Floo Powder or a portkey. Hermione nodded and pulled out a book to read since it would be a long drive. So Remus started up the engine and they started on their long journey to the Burrow.  
"Harry? Come on sleepy head, wake up." Sirius gently shook Harry again until he finally opened his eyes.  
  
Harry slowly looked up to see the burly figure of his Godfather sitting next to him. Harry painfully reached over and grabbed him glasses off the bedside table and slide them into place.  
  
Harry took a look around the room as he slowly sat up. His stomach and back still hurt from where Uncle Vernon had hit him earlier. "Where are we?"  
  
"In a hotel room. You fell asleep in my arms a few hours ago just as we were leaving Surrey. I found this little hotel and got us a room for the rest of the night." Sirius then looked at Harry worryingly. He already knew the answer to the question he was about to ask but he needed to hear it from Harry. "Harry, where did the wounds on your back and chest come form? They can't have been from the tournament because those would have healed by now, but they can't have been from tonight either because their too old to be form tonight."  
  
Harry started at his Godfather and sighed. He really didn't want to talk about this right know. He didn't want to burden Sirius with it and half the stuff that happened he just couldn't tell Sirius. How could he tell him that he had been thinking out suicide and had come very close to doing so ore times then he really wanted to remember. He just sat quietly on the bed staring down at his covers.  
  
Sirius sighed. This was going to be harder the he thought. Harry was trying to shut him out. But he couldn't let him do that. Harry needed to know that their were people who were willing to help him, even if he didn't want that help.  
  
"Harry?" Sirius said, trying to get Harry's attention. But he didn't. Harry just continued to stare at the sheets. "Harry, look at me." His voice was soft and gently yet still held the firmness of a command.  
  
Harry slowly looked up to meet his Godfather's gaze. Sirius never expected to see what he saw in Harry's eyes. It was pain mixed with fear. Was Harry afraid of him? Sirius ran a hand through his hair and focused on Harry. "Harry, you know you can tell me anything right? If something's bothering you, I want to know. That's my job. I don't want you to think you'd be burdening me with your problems cause your not. I want to know so I can help. Whatever bothers you, you can tell me. That way you don't have to face these things alone."  
  
Harry didn't know what to say to this. He knew Sirius would always be there for him, but he just couldn't tell him. He was too afraid of what Sirius might think. Not only that but he was afraid to get too close to his Godfather cause what if he was taken away from him. Voldemort would come after the ones he loved and he didn't want Sirius in any more danger then he already was.  
  
Harry sighed and looked down at the sheets again. "I really don't want to talk about it." And he wasn't lying. He really didn't want to talk about it. He wished he had his journal. But that was locked up in his truck and he couldn't afford to have Sirius find it. Not with what he had written in it. His journal was where he poured out all his thoughts and feels about everything and he didn't want to think about what would happen if Sirius found it.  
  
Sirius shook his head. This was not going the way he had planned. "Harry this is eating you up inside. I can tell. You need to talk about this and I won't take no for an answer."  
  
Harry looked up at his Godfather. "Why do you care?! You weren't there when I needed you! You never were!!! You don't understand what I went through!! No one does and no one can!! When I need you, Ron and, Hermione the most, you guys weren't there!!! The Dursleys didn't care!!! They didn't care at all!!!! They called me a murder and that's what I am!!! I killed Cedric and I won't let anyone else die because of me! I've deserved everything the Dursleys did to me!!! You should have just left me there!!! Everyone would be a lot better off if I was dead anyways!!! Why the HELL do YOU CARE?!!!!" Harry yelled, tears streaming down his face. He felt anger and pain surge everywhere through his veins and he wanted to be alone.  
  
After a few moments, Harry had finally clamed down a bit a realized what he had done. He had never meant to bit his head off at Sirius. That was the last thing he had wanted to do, but Sirius just wouldn't drop it. He hadn't wanted to talk about it but now it was too late.  
  
Sirius stared wide eyes at Harry. He couldn't believe what he had just heard. This wasn't like Harry at all. Harry was never like this. Bu he was right. Harry should have never spent the last few weeks at the Dursleys, not after what he had gone through. He should have done something. Harry needed to be around people to help him through what had happened, and he would get any comfort at the Dursleys. He had failed Harry again.  
  
Harry looked up at Sirius to see he still in shock. With tears in his eyes Harry began to apologize. "I'm sorry, Sirius, I never meant.. To say what I said, I. It wasn't right of me! I never meant any of it. I'm.. I'm sorry." Harry lowered his head in defeated. He knew he shouldn't have shouted and Sirius hadn't done anything to be on the receiving end of that.  
  
Sirius watched as Harry put his head in his hands and did something that he rarely ever did. He cried. Sirius's heart went out to him. He looked so tried and worn out. He needed to get away from all of this, but couldn't. He was stuck. But Sirius wasn't going to let him face all of this alone.  
  
Slowly, Sirius moved closer to Harry and hugged him. At first Harry stiffened, but the slowly relaxed into his Godfather's embrace and started to cry into him shoulder. Sirius ran a hand up and down Harry's back to try and calm him. Harry was shacking madly and the sobs grew louder, but Sirius didn't mind. Harry needed a good cry. He couldn't just keep everything bottled up all the time.  
  
They stayed that way for a while, each enjoying the others company. Harry's sobs had subsided a while ago and now he just sat quietly in his Godfather's arms trying to sort through everything he was feeling. Sirius held Harry close and felt guilt grow in his chest. Harry didn't deserve this. He had seen more things then any normal wizard would in their lifetime. But he shouldn't have had too. He should be out enjoying his teenage years, but because of everything that has happened to him, Harry has had to grow up far too quickly. He never got to enjoy his childhood.  
  
Finally Harry broke the silence. "It was my Uncle." He said quietly.  
  
Sirius just started at him. "What?"  
  
Harry looked up at him with red eyes. "My Uncle. He gave me those wounds on my back and chest." Harry said quietly again, fearing he might get in trouble.  
  
Sirius felt anger rise in his chest. He had known this, but he wanted Harry to tell him and he had. But now that he had heard it from Harry, it confirmed it. Seeing the look on Harry's face he pushed his anger down to deal with later and faced Harry. "Why?" He said in a soft gentle voice.  
  
Harry was a little surprised that Sirius hadn't lashed out at him but continued, "When I came home for the summer I still had injures from The Tournament. It made me slower the usual cause I was sore all over. And one day Uncle Vernon just got mad at me for being behind on my work." Harry looked down at the sheets and in a low voice said. "He.he beat me. He beat me for so long and so hard. He started to come home drunk after that. He used to say I was a lazy ungrateful little brat. Then he'd go one about everything they had done for me and said this was how I repay them. I got beaten daily. Then he, Aunt Petunia and Dudley started calling me a murderer. I guess Dumbledore had sent them a letter explaining what had happened to me over the year. They said I killed Cedric and that I deserve to die. And. their right." Harry closed his eyes as the tears flowed again. He buried his face in Sirius's shoulder, while Sirius did all he could to comfort him.  
  
The Dursleys were going to pay dearly for this. Sirius couldn't believe people could be so cruel. He hadn't even thought the Dursleys to be capable of that. The Dursleys made Voldemort seem like nothing but an ordinary criminal. Sirius felt ashamed for leaving Harry with such people. Harry would have been better off being with him while he was on the run from the Ministry the to be with them.  
  
Sirius rubbed Harry's back again. "I'm sorry Harry. We should have never left you with them, but don't worry. I'll make sure you never have to go back and live with them again, okay?"  
  
Harry just nodded into his shoulder. For the first time in his life, Harry felt like he had a family. Someone who loved him like their own son. Sirius was his family now. And Harry knew now that Sirius would help him, just like he said he would.  
  
They sat like that for a long time 'til Sirius finally said, "Come on Harry. We better go if we want to get to the Leaky Cauldron by nightfall."  
  
Harry nodded. Sirius help Harry to his feet, grabbed his truck, shrink it, and they left again for their long journey to Hogwarts.  
Professor Dumbledore walked down a secret passage that led form his office to a secret meeting room. Even the Marauder's map didn't show this place, well, until recently that is.  
  
As Dumbledore entered the room, three people dressed in blue and black robes approached him. All that could be seen of them was a golden Phoenix emblem that was displayed on their robes.  
  
"Is the boy safe Albus?" one asked.  
  
"Has Voldemort found him yet?" another said.  
  
"What if something happens to him?" the last one asked. They all bombarded Dumbledore with questions until he raised his hand to silence them.  
  
"Please stay calm. All of you." He told them. "Harry is safe. Sirius is bringing him here to the castle where we can keep on eye on him."  
  
"But what if Voldemort figures out who he is?" One asked.  
  
"Don't worry, Donavan. Right now the only way he can find out is from us. Which brings me to some bad news." Dumbledore said sadly.  
  
"Mundungus Fletcher was killed a few days ago by Voldemort. It seems Voldemort is trying to find out whom exactly the order is protecting. Mundungus refused to answer and was killed."  
  
All three of them were shocked. They all use to think that nothing could stop Gus. But they were wrong. "But Albus, If Voldemort's trying to figure that out, he'll come after the rest of the Order." Another said, worryingly.  
  
"Yes, he will, but most of the Order is stationed here at Hogwarts." Dumbledore said to reassure them. "Now on to another matter. I've invited Atticus, Nora, and Rebecca to become professors here. They each have knowledge that Harry will need to learn."  
  
"Albus, does the Harry know?" One asked.  
  
"No Abigail. He does not know yet. And for now it's best if he doesn't. It would only put him in more danger." Dumbledore answered. "Now I'm sure you all have duties to attend to. I will be in my office if you need me.'"  
  
And with that Dumbledore turned and walked back to his office.  
Harry fell as the curse hit him. Unbelievable pain was swiped through his body. His ever bone felt as though it was on fire. His head felt like it was splitting at his scar. He knew he must be screaming out in pain, but he couldn't hear himself. It felt like white-hot knives were being pushed into him. He just wanted it to stop.  
  
He could vaguely hear Sirius beside him. He could just hear Sirius yell, "Stupefy!" And then the pain stopped. Sirius grabbed Harry by the arm and help him up.  
  
Harry swayed a little before getting his balance. He was sore all over and was now extremely tried. Harry saw all the Death Eaters at the end of the alley were all studded.  
  
"Come on, Harry. We don't have much time." Sirius said as he led Harry down the alley, passed the Death Eaters, and back out onto the street again.  
  
"How did you do that?" Harry asked as they walked swiftly down the street towards the Leaky Cauldron.  
  
"Do what?" Sirius asked, scanning the street to make sure there were no more Death Eaters around.  
  
"Stun them. I know you had been hit by the curse too. I could hear you. How did you do it?" Harry asked.  
  
Sirius sighed. "Some wizards are able to throw curses like that off long enough to attack. Most Death Eaters don't watch for on coming attacks when they hit someone with those curses so they let their guard down." He said as they approached the Leaky Cauldron.  
  
They stopped just before it and Sirius turned to Harry, "I have to turn into my dog form okay. Now, Dumbledore has reserved a room for us so when you get in there just go straight to Tom. He'll take us to our room, okay?" Harry nodded and Sirius changed into a dog. Harry waked into the Leaky Cauldron and wasn't surprised when the place went silent and everyone stared to stare at him.  
  
Harry slowly made his way over to Tom as everyone in there wanted to shack his hand but started to back off when Sirius growled at them. Harry silently thanked Sirius for keeping them a bay. Sirius was watching everyone closely as if daring them to try something.  
  
Tom turned around to look at Harry and his face it up. "Ah, Mr. Potter. Dumbledore said you and your dog would be coming here. Follow me, I'll take you to your room."  
  
Harry followed Tom, with Sirius trailing close behind, down a corridor and up a flight of stairs to a room marked thirteen. Tom opened the door for Harry. "If you need anything don't hesitate to ask." Tom said.  
  
"I won't. Thank you." Harry muttered as Tom closed the door behind Sirius. Sirius resumed his human form and locked the door.  
  
Harry walked over towards the bed and sat down. He was tried, but after everything that had happened the last few days, he wasn't sure if he could sleep. Then he chuckled and looked up at Sirius. "Thanks for playing bodyguard."  
  
Sirius looked at him and smiled. " I just didn't want you to get hurt. I've been on the edge lately and there are not many people that I trust anymore."  
  
Harry nodded and yawned. "That's okay. I don't really mind. I was acutely glade that you keep them away. I'm sick of people shaking my hand and saying Oh look. there's Harry Potter."  
  
Sirius chuckled. "Well in that case your very welcome."  
  
They stay silent for a few moments. Sirius watched his godson and then finally said, "You should rest Harry. We'll pick up your school supplies tomorrow and then we should get to Hogwarts by tomorrow night."  
  
Harry just nodded and lay down against the pillows. He fell asleep immediately without even taking off his glasses.  
  
Sirius walked up to Harry and pulled the covers up over him. He removed his glasses and placed them on the table beside the bed. "Good-night Harry." He said before shutting off the lights, turning into a dog, and lay down at the end of Harry's bed. From there he watched over Harry and prayed that they would get to Hogwarts without any problems.  
  
Finally Sirius drifted off to sleep, not even noticing the scarlet figure that sat on the windowsill. Fawkes sat quietly watching over Harry as the moonlight filtered in through the open window.  
  
AN: Oh, please review, it makes me feel so much better. Oh, and if you guys have any ideas of where you'd like this story to head, please let me know. I'm writing all of this for you guys you know!!!! Thanks!!! 


	7. Mysteries

AN: Here's a nice long chapter to keep all you guys going while I'm in Florida. Have fun reading it, cause it took me forever to write. .~: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix :~. 

.~: By: Moonlight Snitch :~.

.~: Chapter Six – Mysteries :~.

   Lupin and Hermione reached the Burrow by late afternoon. They had spent almost all of their time their helping the Weasleys pack and helped put up wards. Lupin didn't want to take any chances and put up almost ever ward he could think of. Mr. Weasley had done the same.

   Ron, of course, did pretty much nothing but worry and wonder if Harry was all right. Hermione kept reminding him that Harry was with Sirius by now and Sirius wouldn't let anything happen to him. But this of course didn't help matters at all. It just made things worst. Ron would then start sprouting ides like 'But what if Sirius was seen and the Ministry caught him? What would happen to Harry?' or 'what if Voldemort found them and now Sirius and Harry were both being tortured to death, or worst. What if they were already dead?' the list went on and on.

   Finally Hermione just gave up on him all together and started to help Ginny instead. She too was worried about Harry, but tried her best to keep herself occupied and to try and believe Hermione when she said 'I'm sure he's fine.'

   "How long do you think we'll all be safe here, Remus." Mrs. Weasley asked, handing him a cup of tea. It was they day after Hermione and Lupin had arrived and the sun was already starting to set.

   "I'm not sure, Molly. We'll just have to wait until Dumbledore sends us word to make our way to the castle. The wards we've put up should keep us safe for the time being." Lupin answered, taking a sip of his tea.

   "I still can't believe that all of this is happening," Mrs. Weasley sat as she sat down at the table beside Mr. Weasley, cradling her cup of tea in her hands as though trying to keep them warm. "And to think that all of this started with that silly Tournament not even a month ago. Oh, poor Harry. He never deserved to have to go through what he's going through."

   Mr. Weasley lifted his head from his paperwork and addressed Lupin. "What I would like to know is why does You-Know-Who want Harry so badly, I mean before Harry caused his downfall. What did Harry ever do? He had only been one year-old. I could understand why he would have been after Lily and James but why Harry?" Mr. Weasley said, trying to put this stupid jigsaw puzzle together.

   Lupin placed his cup back on the table and sighed. "To tell you the truth, I have no idea. Only four people I know of know the truth and that Lily, James, Dumbledore, and of course, Voldemort." Both Mr. and Mrs. Weasley shuttered. "And as you know, both Lily and James are dead, so they can't tell us. Only Dumbledore can."

   Mrs. Weasley sighed. "Well I just hope Dumbledore knows what he's doing then. Lets hope he has a plan for keeping Harry safe, along with everyone else at the school."

   Lupin nodded. Just then they heard a smack against the window. Mr. Weasley got up and walked over to it just Errol fluttered up from the ground outside. Mr. Weasley grabbed the latter Errol was carrying and read the name.

   "Speaking of Dumbledore, this is for you Remus." He said, handing Lupin the letter. He ripped it out and read the letter quickly.

   "Well," Mrs. Weasley said impatiently. "What does it say?"

   Lupin looked up at her. "Dumbledore wants us to come to the castle as soon as possible. It looks like so Death Eaters may be coming our way and it's too risky to travel by portkey or Flew Power. We'll have to travel either by foot, broom, or the car." Lupin answered, setting the letter down.

   Mrs. Weasley sighed and stood. 'Well, we better get too it. Arthur, please go call the children. I'll make us all a quick snack to take on the way and then we better be off. We don't want to have any trouble tonight." Both Mr. Weasley and Lupin agreed. 

   Harry sighed as he walked through the crowed streets of Diagon Alley. He had gotten most of his school supplies already. Now all he need was his new textbooks. Sirius trotted beside him in his dog form, keeping watch. He didn't have a good feeling today. He knew something was going to happen and he wanted to make sure Harry didn't get hurt. He eyed people suspiciously ever time someone came too close to Harry.

   They reached Flourish and Blotts and Harry pulled out his booklist once again.

Standard Book of Spells Grade 5 by Bathilda Bagshot Your average guide to Transfiguration by Albus Dumbledore Bubbling Black Cauldron by Stickler Sterling Curses and ancient spells by Romana Dunlovelle Duelling with the best by Ashton Flickwick. Advanced Auror training for the physical and mental mind by James Potter _(All Volumes)_ Advanced Auror Charms and Spells for the charmed child by Godric Gryffindor _(All Volumes)_ Most Fabulous animals of the world by Singapore Nelly Focusing your Inner Eye by Cleo Mashepra Exploration of the Universe by George Holt 

 Mr. Potter, please also find the following books for some special training – Albus Dumbledore

      1.   The Fine Art of Duelling by Sirius Black (All Volumes)

      2.   Reading the Mind and Future by Atticus Toggart

      3.   Dark Arts at it's Worst by Rinehart Abell

      4.   Sword Training for the Worst by Winston Folert (All Volumes) 

      5.   Fighting Dark Creatures by Marius Ghent

      6.   Advanced training for the mind body and soul by Cleo Mashepra _(All Volumes)_

   Harry started at the paper. All those books. Has Dumbledore gone mad? But that wasn't the only thing on his mind. Some of the Books and their authors were on his mind too. _Advanced Auror training for the physical and mental mind by James Potter (All Volumes), The Fine Art of Duelling by Sirius Black_ _(All Volumes)._ Both his father and Sirius had written books. And not only that, but they had both written them in a full series. 

   Harry glanced down at Sirius, who was currently moving his head around the store suspiciously. Harry moved to a corner and knelt down by Sirius. Sirius seemed to realize something was up and waited patiently. 

   Harry held out his book list and pointed. "You never told me you and my dad had written all those books." Sirius looked to where Harry was pointing then shied away sheepishly. Harry smiled. "Promise to tell me later?" Sirius nodded and then went to look for the books.

   Harry grabbed one of the carts for the first time ever and started wandering the aisles. He had never had this many books before. Normally he could carry them all, but not now. Not with all the Volumes of books he need to get.

   Sirius helped Harry out a lot. He would run ahead to show Harry were the next book was so he wouldn't have to stay very long. Sirius really wanted to get out of there and head of Hogwarts. That uneasy feeling he had had was only growing stronger.

   Harry wander up and down the aisles in frustration. He now had all his books except the ones Sirius had written. He couldn't even find one book from his series. _'Figures,'_ Harry thought. What if they had all been burned or something once Sirius was sent to Azkaban. And it didn't help that he was the only Hogwarts student who needed them. 

   Finally Harry gave up looking on his own and went up to the front desk. They young lady behind it didn't look much older then Percy with her long blond hair and hazel eyes. "Is there anything I can help you…" She stopped in mid-sentence once she had a good look at Harry. _'Uh oh,' He thought. __'Here it comes.'_

   "Oh, my goodness. Your Harry Potter." Her eyes were wide with excitement. "Oh, my Mr. Potter. What can I help you with?" She asked cheerfully.

  Harry smiled a little. "Umm, yes. I'm looking for a certain series of books for school. My headmaster has asked me to get them but I can't seem to find them anywhere." 

   She smiled. "Oh, well, what's the name of the series and who was it by?"

   Harry hesitated. He knew people didn't like hearing Sirius's name and if he couldn't find the books on his own, then it was a good bet they didn't have them for a reason. "Umm… The series is called 'The Fine Art Of Duelling' by… Sirius Black." The lady stared at him opened mouthed and dropped the quill she was using to write down the title and author. 

   She couldn't believe her ears. "Wh-hy do you w-wan-t tha-t s-serie-s?" She stuttered.

   Harry sighed. This might take a while. "As I said before, my headmaster asked me to get this certain series and I realize who the author is, but I really need to have a copy of the Whole series." He explained. Sirius sort of let out what sounded like humph and gave Harry the look that said 'Even by books were called traitors? That's not fair.' Harry rolled his eyes at him.

  "I s-se-ee," She said, still not quite sure of herself. "I d-don't know if we carry that series anymore acutely. Could you just wait here a moment while I go get Mr. Blotts."

   Harry nodded and mumbled "sure" as she ran off. Harry sighed and looked down at Sirius, who met his gaze. "I'm sorry this is taking so long." Sirius just nodded. Harry could sort of imagine what must be going through his head. Dumbledore and McGonagall always assigned them the very best books in their department and to have been assigned Sirius' would mean that his were one of the best. But now to know that all his hard work had been in vain made Harry feel sorry for him.

   "At least I'll have your books, Snuffles." He said quietly so no one would look at him weird for talking to his dog like his dog was an author. Sirius looked up and him and did them best impression of a smile that a dog could.

   "Well, well, well, would you look at that? Scarhead has come to get his spell books with his cute little pet dog. What's the matter Potter? Afraid of getting eaten by a book?" Harry rolled his eyes. _'Great. Just what I need,' He thought. He turned and came face to face with Draco Malfoy; the stuck up Slytherin who made it his business to make sure Harry's life was as miserable as possible. _

   Harry sighed. "What do you want now Malfoy?" He asked hotly. Sirius started to growl at Malfoy when Harry had said the kid's name. _'So this is the infamous Draco Malfoy,' Sirius thought to himself, though he wasn't too happy about that. If Draco was here then his father was sure to be here too._

   Malfoy smiled. Then he noticed all the books Harry had with him. "Well, it looks like that Mudblood is rubbing off on you Potter. You better watch it though. Those books and your dog there won't save you from where the Dark Lord will send you." Malfoy sneered.

   Harry could feel Sirius tense up beside him. He knew Sirius wasn't going to stand for this shit and he was really glad he wasn't going to be on the receiving end of his anger. "What would you know about it Malfoy? Is your dad now letting you in on Voldemort's plans or something?" Harry said.

   They whole store suddenly went silent to watch, many people gasping when they had heard the Dark Lord's name. Both Harry and Malfoy didn't seem to notice this. Malfoy come closer to Harry. "I don't need to hear what the Dark Lord has planned to know that you won't last 'til the end of the year." People around gasped and Sirius started barking. 

   Malfoy took a step back from Harry and Sirius moved in between them. Malfoy laughed. "Oh look at that Potter. You have your own personal bodyguard. I'm so scared." He made this fake impression of being terribly frightened and the Slytherins that were their laughed. 

   Harry stayed as serious as possible. "You should be Malfoy. Padfoot will hurt you if your not careful." But Malfoy didn't listen. He just started laughing. 

   "Padfoot? Padfoot? What kind of a stupid name is that Potter?" Malfoy asked in between laughs. 

   Sirius barked louder. Harry didn't know if Sirius was going to be able to restrain himself much longer. Not with the way this conversation was going anyways. "It's a lot better then yours, that for sure." Harry replied. 

   Malfoy looked back at Harry in anger. "I'd watch it if I were you Potter. The Dark Lord is coming for you and Dumbledore won't be able to save you. You'll die just like your stupid, no good parents did. They deserved what they got. They were nothing more then slimly…" But Malfoy didn't get a chance to finish. Sirius leaped at him, barking loudly. Harry made no move to stop him. Anger was flowing through his veins as well and all he wanted to do was punch Malfoy's face in. But he didn't want to get in trouble, so he let Sirius deal with it.

   "Help," Malfoy screamed out as Sirius started to bit and scratch. "He's going to kill me!!!" But no one made a move to help him, but the Slytherins. Everyone there thought he deserved it. He had no right to talk that way about Lily and James Potter. They were very well known and people loved them. They weren't going to let this boy get away from it unpunished.

   The Slytherins tries as hard as they could to get the great black dog off of Malfoy, but to no avail. Sirius was just too big and heavy for them to do anything but sit back in shock. Finally Harry thought Malfoy had had enough and tried to call Sirius back and after a while finally managed. 

   Sirius was still growling fiercely at Malfoy, his snot drenched in blood. Malfoy had cuts all over his body ad his face was covered in it. With the help of the Slytherins Malfoy stood and faced Harry wide eye. "Don't think this is over Potter. That dog of yours won't last long. My father works for the Committee of the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures. That dog of yours will not last long when father gets done with him.

   He snickered and the Slytherins and he left. People were in shock for a few moments before people finally were able to get back to what they were doing. Harry looked down at Sirius and few ashamed that he had let this happen. Ya, sure Sirius wasn't actually a creature, but if the Committee found him, he be in serious trouble. Now he wasn't safe in either of his forms.

   "Now what are you suppose to do?" Harry asked Sirius, who just looked at him. "You better hope Dumbledore can get you out of this."

   At that very moment a man in about his mid-thirties came up to Harry. He was short with chocolate brown hair and eyes to match. His green robes swayed behind him slightly as he stepped forward.

  "Hello Mr. Potter. My name is Ender Raedin. I'm part of the Committee of the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures." The man said politely.

   At this Sirius put his head down in defeat and sat down ashamed beside Harry. Harry sighed. _'We're never going to get out of this.'_

   The man looked a little shocked. He knelt down next to Sirius and began to pet him. Sirius just moaned. "It's okay boy, I'm not going to do anything. Just wanted to make sure you were friendly and only doing what most dogs would do for their owners." Both Harry and Sirius looked and him puzzled.

   "But sir," Harry began. "Aren't you going to take him away from me or something?"

   The man stood and laughed. "Oh, no Mr. Potter, don't worry. I've seen this dog before. He was at your parents place. I came to one of their parties you see and I saw this dog running around having fun. I guess that you're his owner now and he did only what normal dogs do. He stood up for you and your parents, so there's really no harm done. I think that little brat deserved it anyways. "Harry laughed.

   The man laughed and smiled. "I'll try to sort all this out with the Committee when they get word and if I'm having trouble I'll just go and talk to Dumbledore, so try not to worry about it, okay?"

   Harry nodded. "Thanks you, sir."

   "No problem Mr. Potter. Well have a nice day. See you later Padfoot." Sirius barked at the man and he was gone.

   Harry sighed and lend against the counter. He looked down at Sirius. "You're very lucky you know." Sirius just smiled.

   The lady from the counter came back accompany by another man who Harry guessed to be Mr. Blotts. "Mr. Potter, this is Mr. Blotts. I've told him about your little predicament." She said.

   Harry just nodded. "Hello, Mr. Blotts."

   Mr. Blotts smiled. "Hello Mr. Potter. And may I say that I'm very surprised that you need those books, but don't worry about it. Dumbledore owled me telling me that you'd be need that certain series and I believe we still have a copy of it in the back. Why don't I go get it while Cindery here worries about all your books there." He said cheerfully, eyeing all of Harry's books with amusement. 

   Harry smiled. "That'd be great."

   "Okay then, I'll be right back." And Mr. Blotts hurried off into the back of the store.

   Cindery smiled. "Well, now that that's taken care of, why don't we deal with these." Harry started handing her the books and she started calculating the total. When Mr. Blotts came back five minutes later with the books, which were covered in dust, they were still at it. 

   Mr. Blotts laughed. "You sure have a lot more books then the rest of the students form Hogwarts, hey Mr. Potter." Harry smiled at him.

   "Yes, I do. I'm not exactly sure why though." Harry said, handing Cindery the last book. Finally after paying for his books, Harry walked out of Flourish and Blotts. He only had one back but Mr. Blotts had bewitched it so that it held as many books as Harry wanted and was feather light. 

   Harry then glanced down at his list to see if he had forgotten anything. He now had all of his new books (what a relief), his new robes (his were getting too small again), new potions ingredients, and some new quills and parchment. It seemed all he didn't have was a magical sword, which everyone was now required to have, but Sirius had told him not to worry about getting one because they had one for him already at Hogwarts.

   It was then that Harry noticed that there was one more little note form Dumbledore at the bottom of his list. It was as though it had just appeared there cause he hadn't recalled seeing it there before. It read:

_Harry,_

_  I also would like you to bring a Phoenix to school with you if you can. It will become very useful to you this school year and it is important that you get one. I know that they are hard to find, but I have a feeling that it won't be too hard for you._

_   -Albus Dumbledore_

Harry was surprised to say the least. At first he thought getting all those extra books was enough, but now Dumbledore also wanted him to get a phoenix. He was pretty sure he was the only one being asked this. The same goes for the extra books. 

   He shook his head and headed for the Magical Menagerie. He needed to go there anyways to pick up some owl treats for Hedwig. Might as well look there for a phoenix while he was at it, though he doubted he'd find one. He wondered what Uncle Vernon was going to say when he realized that Harry now had to have two birds in the hou…. That's when Harry remembered. Sirius had said he'd never have to go back there again. Was he right? Harry sure hoped so.

   He entered the Magical Menagerie only to be greeted by gasps and stares followed by 'look, isn't that Harry Potter.' Others were staring at him weirdly trying to get a glance at his scar, which was currently buried under his bangs.

   Harry sighed and walked through the store just looking around. They place was still cover from head to toe with cages with all sorts of creatures in them. Cats, snakes, rats, slugs, worms, snails, spiders (Ron would just love that). Almost any animal Harry could think of could be seen in here. 

   He stood by the owl treats and pick and a bag with medium sized treats for Hedwig, knowing that she hated some food, yet the big stuff was just way to big for her. He turned around form them when he heard something familiar followed by a scream.

   "Aah, get away form me you crazy bird!!!" The man shouted as this huge scarlet Phoenix fought with him. Harry could tell easily who was winning.

   "FLAME!!! STOP THAT, PLEASE!!!!! LEAVE THE POOR MAN ALONE!!!!' A store clerk called, trying her best to get the raging Phoenix away form the old man. Finally Flame listened and flew back to her perch.

   The store clerk sighed. "I'm so very sorry sir. Flame hasn't ever trusted anyone. The only person I've ever seen her get along with was Albus Dumbledore. He was the one that brought her here you see." She explained to the poor old man.

   "That's alright, dear. Animals have never ever really like me much anyways. Excepted my cat that is." He answered then went on his way.

   "What exactly is wrong with her?" Harry asked coming to stand beside the store clerk and stared at Flame. Flame stared back with equal interest. She looked so familiar. _'Well of course she is stupid. She must remain you of Fawkes,'_ He thought. That was right though. Flame did remain him of Fawkes but there was something else there too. Something he couldn't quite put his finger on.

   The store clerk jumped slightly when she realized who was talking to her, but answered his question, "Well, I don't really know. Dumbledore didn't exactly say much about her other then that she needed a good home and that she wouldn't leave with anyone she didn't trust. Frankly I don't know why she acts that way. Many fine people have come in here asking about her, but she hasn't trusted anyone of the. It's almost like she waiting for someone or something."

   Harry nodded and continued to stare at Flame. He had a huge urge to reach out and touch her, but didn't think he should. She wasn't a trusting phoenix after all, like Fawkes was and Fawkes was the only phoenix Harry had ever had experience with. He had a feeling though that she wouldn't hurt him, but how could he be sure.

   Flame continued to watch him and waited. For what Harry didn't now. He watched her curiously. Flame sang out a note and something inside of him felt funny. He had had this feeing before, he knew, but he couldn't remember where. 

   It happened in slow motion for Harry and everyone present in the store. Harry slow reached out towards Flame as though something inside of him told him to do so. He faintly heard almost everyone in the shop suck in a breath and his hand came in contact with Flame's gleaming scarlet feathers. But nothing happened. Flame seemed to rather be enjoying herself and sang out a note as Harry continued to pet her.

   Then, suddenly, Flame spread out her huge scarlet wings and flew from her perch to Harry's shoulder. She rubbed her head against Harry's affectionately. Everyone around the store stared at Harry in amassment. The store clerk had her mouth wide open as she watched.

   "Well," she began. "It seems Mr. Potter that you were the one she was waiting for. She really seems to trust you." The store clerk answered, still opened mouthed.

   Harry turned to her. "How long as Flame been here?" He asked, still stroking Flame.

   "Ummm… I'm not sure. I must have been, what eleven when Dumbledore brought her here so that would make it…. 14 years. No ones ever been able to get near her without getting attacked. You're the first Mr. Potter, well, besides Dumbledore that is."

   Harry stared back up at Flame and made up his mind. "I'll buy her. I don't think she would really want to stay here any longer anyways." Harry replied as Flame sang out again, realizing that Harry was going to buy her.

   A huge smile spread across the store clerks face. "Alright then, follow me."

   Harry followed her up to the counter where he waited while she ran around the store getting things Harry would need to be able to take care a Flame. So Harry waited with Flame on his shoulder. He stroked her absently as he looked out the window and watched the crowded street. He could see Sirius standing guard outside the shop, as he really didn't want to go into a store with a bunch of other animals. They would know he wasn't an animal and make sure a fuss. It was then that Harry realized that there was someone out in the street who was staring right at him.

   Harry stiffened and he could faintly hear barking. This wasn't good. He didn't like this. The man or woman was cloaked and their face was cover so Harry couldn't see who it was, but he didn't need to see to know what it was. It was a Death Eater.

   "Here we are Mr. Potter. That will be 50 gallons." The store clerk said, putting everything into bags for him.

   Harry reached into his moneybag a retrieved 50 gallons as fast as he could. He wanted to get out of there and head for Hogwarts as soon as possible. 

   She handed him all of his things and gave him Flame's perch for free. Harry walked out of the store carrying all his things with Flame on his shoulder. The Death Eater was still staring at him.

   Sirius came up to him and started barking. Harry knew very well that Sirius could smell the Death Eater. "I know Snuffles. I think we better get out of here." They started heading back to the Leaky Cauldron, but the Death Eater was now following them.

   Harry gazed back and started to panic._ 'Great now what are we going to do?' He asked himself. Harry turned to Sirius. "Snuffles run ahead. Go into the Leaky Cauldron and grab my stuff. I'll meet you there." Sirius seemed hesitant, but ran off towards the Leaky Cauldron._

   When Harry looked back again, the Death Eater was still there, coming closer. He started to run as the Death Eater pulled out their wand. _"Avada Kedavra!" Harry heard from behind him and ducked out of the way. He felt the curse whiz passed him, just barley missing._

   People started screaming and running away in fear. Harry pulled his own wand out and started running as fast as he could towards the Leaky Cauldron again. Flame had long since left his shoulder and now flew beside him.

   _"Avada Kedavra!!!" Harry dove out of the way again and quickly turned to face the Death Eater. "Stupefy!!!" Harry yelled, then turned and started running again, not waiting to see if the curse had hit it's mark or not._

   Harry ran into the Leaky Cauldron to see that Sirius had gotten his trunk and broom and was now barking madly with Harry's invisibility cloak at his feet. Harry got to him quickly, bewitched hit trunk to be feather light, and grabbed his cloak.

   Before he could throw it on, he heard it again._ 'Avada Kedavra!!!" Harry dodged it again and turned to face the Death Eater._

   "You can't get away that easily Potter." Come the harsh voice. Harry finally realized who it was under the cloak.

   "Having fun, aren't we Malfoy. Well I'm sorry but play time's over." Harry answered, wondering where this burst of courage had come from.

   "Your right Potter, it is. The Dark Lord is waiting for you." Malfoy drawled.

   Harry held up his wand. "Well, you can tell Voldemort that if he wants me, he will just have to come get me himself. Expelliarmus!!!" Harry yelled.

   Malfoy was ready for it, so it blocked it, but he wasn't prepared for Flame. Flame dived in and burnt Malfoy's cloak. Malfoy screamed. _'Now's your chance Harry.' "Stupefy!!!"_

   The curse hit it's mark and sent Malfoy flying back hard into a wall. Harry cringed as he heard bones crack form the impact. Everyone in the Leaky Cauldron was all silent and scared.

   Sirius barked at him and Flame landed on Harry's shoulder again, after having burnt up parts of Malfoy's body. Harry knew that they didn't have much time so without another word he put the cloak on and He; Sirius, Flame and Harry's trunk all disappeared from view.

   Later that evening, Professor Dumbledore stood in the Entrance Hall waiting patiently with Professor McGonagall and a few others. McGonagall paced back and forth while the three others fidgeted nervously. Dumbledore was the all one who appeared to be calm but inside he too was worried.

   Finally Dumbledore sighed. "Minerva, I'm sure their fine." He said to her calmly.

   McGonagall stopped and started at him. "They should have been here a long time ago, Albus. What if something has happened to them?" She said worryingly, staring out at the open doors.

   "They are fine, Minerva. Trust me. They'll be here soon." Dumbledore answered, his eyes sparkling behind his half-moon glasses.

   McGonagall nodded and took her place beside Dumbledore, regaining her composure. "I'm sorry Albus, It's just if anything happens to Harry…"

   "I know Minerva, but Sirius will get him here safely. Don't worry," He answered, giving her a reassuring glance. 

   "What exactly are you planning on telling him, Albus?" Abigail asked, her long brown hair swaying in the breeze, which filtered in through the open doors.

   "Only what he is ready to hear." He said simply. 

   "Well let's hope he doesn't find out on his own then." Donavan said.

   "Donavan, how can he find out? He'll only find out if we tell him." The last one said.

   Donavan looked at him and shook his head. "Did you not hear about everything that has happened to Harry over the last four years here at Hogwarts? You're talking about the boy who, along with his friends, found out about the Philosopher's stone, and saved it. The boy who found his way into the Chamber of Secrets, and saved the whole school from a Basilisk. The boy who found out all about Sirius Black and found out that he was innocent. And then of course, do I really need to remind you of what happened to him last year. You think he won't find out? Ethan, I knew you were crazy, but I didn't think you were stupid."

   Abigail sighed. "Please stop bickering. You're both giving me a headache." She said rubbing her temples softly.

   That when Dumbledore saw it. There was a small figure moving towards the castle at a great speed. It just appeared out of thin air. As it got closer, Dumbledore could make out the two forms of Sirius Black and Harry Potter. There was a beautiful scarlet phoenix flying right beside them as they came clearer into view.

   They got to the front door and dismounted. They both looked worst for wear. Harry looked like he had been through a big fight and Sirius; well, looked worst then usual. Dumbledore smiled down at them.

   "Ah, Harry. I'm glad you and Sirius made it here alright." Dumbledore said, slowly descending the stairs.

   Harry looked up at him and smiled. "I'm glad we did too Professor," He replied.  

   "Please, Harry. When were not in school you can cal me Albus." Dumbledore smiled.

   At that moment, Flame let out a few notes and soared across the room to land on Dumbledore's shoulder. Dumbledore looked up at her and smiled.

   "Ah, Flame. I was beginning to wonder if I'd ever see you again. Though I should have known Harry here would be the one to finally buy you." Dumbledore said, reaching up to stroke Flame.

   Harry smiled. "The store keeper told me that Flame didn't seem to trust anyone, but I can't tell you how much of a shock that poor woman got when Flame flew onto my shoulder. I thought she would just die of shock."

   Dumbledore chuckled. "Yes, phoenixes don't trust people easily. They're sort of like wands in a sense. The chose their owners just like wands do. I knew that when I brought Flame there that she wouldn't leave with just anyone. I'm very glad that she has chosen you, Harry." He looked down at Harry, his eyes twinkling. 

   "Why were you both so late in getting here? You should have gotten here hours ago." McGonagall asked, coming down the stairs.

  Both Harry and Sirius sighed at this. Dumbledore noticed and turned to McGonagall. "I think perhaps it's best that we leave that for later Minerva. They are obviously very tried and hungry and I'm sure one of them will be more then willing to tell us about it later." He said. Both Harry and Sirius gave him a look of gratitude while McGonagall juts sort of huffed. 

   Dumbledore sighed. "Well, before we go to diner, Harry, I'd like to introduce to you three important people who will be helping me keep Hogwarts as safe as possible. Abigail Kovac, Donavan Gallagher, and Ethan Deveraux." He said, gesturing to each as their name was said.

   The first thing that Harry noticed about them was that they were all wearing blue and black robes with the golden phoenix emblem on them, just like that man in his dream with Voldemort. The next thing was that they all seemed to be watching his every move as though fascinated with him. He just brushed it off thinking that they must be stunned to finally meet the famous Harry Potter. If only he knew how wrong he was.

   "Nice to meet you," Harry answered to them as Flame left Dumbledore's shoulder and flew back to his.

   Dumbledore smiled. "Now I think its time for dinner." He said, turning around and heading back up the stairs towards the Great Hall. Everyone soon followed.

   Harry entered the Great Hall and saw that they had all of the house tables pushed back against the sidewalls and that the teacher's table was now stationed in the middle of the Hall. Harry sighed to himself as the all took their seats. _'It's good to be home,'_ he thought. 

   Long after diner, once Harry had gotten himself set up in Gryffindor tower, Sirius headed off towards Dumbledore's office. Dumbledore had asked to speak with him about the events that had caused them to arrive so late, but Sirius had other things on his mind that he wanted to talk to Dumbledore about. The Dursleys were the most promote one. Another was of course the matter with all of Harry's new course. He knew what Hermione had gone through in her third year and with al the courses Harry was going to be taking this year, it would be so much harder on him now then it was on her then.

   He reached the stone gargoyle guarding Dumbledore's office and sighed. He didn't know the password. _'Great,'_ He thought.

   "Ummm…. Faber gagsters, Chocolate frogs, Sherbet Lemon, Cherry cluster," He started naming every sweet he could think of. Dumbledore sure did love he's sweets. Finally he named all the sweets he could think of and felt like punch that fucking stone piece of shit. "Will you just move he big hunk of stone!!!" the gargoyle raised an eyebrow to this and stuck its stone tongue out at Sirius.

   Sirius kicked it in frustration. "Damit! Now what?" He stood there for a moment trying to think of any more sweets that the password could possible be. He remember Remus telling him about this very tasty Muggle one, now what was it… "Sour patch kids." The gargoyle sprang to life and Sirius sighed._ 'Figures,' He thought. He hoped onto the moving staircase and waited 'til he reached the oak door. He knock and heard Dumbledore say, "Come in, Sirius." Sirius opened the door only to be greeted by an amused look on Dumbledore's face and one of his friends laughing in his face._

   "Oh, Sirius. That was classic. Albus was beginning to wonder if he should just go let you in." The cloaked figure laughed.

   Sirius scowled. "You think it's funny. I've had a bad enough day as it is, I didn't need to stand out there for half an hour playing that stupid game with that lump of stone." This only earned him more laughter.

   Sirius sat down in a chair in front of Dumbledore's desk and sighed. "Fine. Laugh all you want. Just wait until that happens to you."

   The cloaked figure shook his head. "It won't happen any time soon. I'm stuck in this office remember and I know what the password is if Dumbledore wasn't to change it. Which means if I actually do go out, I can still get back in."

   Dumbledore's eyes twinkled behind his glasses. "I think that's enough of that for now. We do have more important things to discuss."

   Sirius scowled. "Yeah, like those excuse for relatives that Harry has."

   The cloaked figure's face filled with anger. "What have the done now?"

   Sirius sighed. "It's a long story, but to cut it short, I went to pick up Harry only to find that the Dursleys denied he was there and when I finally did find him, he looked as if he's had better days. Those fucking Dursleys. The beat him. That Uncle of his did it right in front of me too. I think he forgot I was in the room."

   Both Dumbledore and the cloaked figure grew serious at hearing this. "Would you please tell us everything that happened Sirius? And don't leave anything out." Dumbledore said, the twinkle long lost from his eyes.

   Sirius sighed. "I got there and Harry's Uncle answered the door. After telling them politely that I'd be taking Harry and asked where he was they said he wasn't there. I had then asked where he was and that was when I hear pounding from upstairs. Harry's voice trailed down the stairwell." The Cloaked Figure rolled his eyes. 

   "Let me guess, you decided to kill them all right there?"

   Sirius grinned. "Well, I didn't kill them, I sort of just shock them up a bit. Anyways. When I finally got upstairs, Harry's door was bolted shut with about fifty different locks and he had a little panel on the door for what I guess was used to get him food, though I don't think the fed him much. He was a mess Albus. He was covered in dried blood and cuts of every different shapes and sizes." Sirius felt like punching something.

   Dumbledore sighed. 'Then you were attacked by a Death Eater, I'm I correct?"

   Sirius nodded. "I got rid of the Death Eater just as Harry's Uncle came into the room. They man looked like he had blown a fuse. He started screaming at Harry, telling him that it was his fault and started to kick and punch him. Harry was throwing up blood by the time I stopped him." Sirius then reached into his robes and pulled out turtle Vernon. "And I've brought that filthy man back here with me." He said placing Vernon on Dumbledore's desk.

   The Cloaked figure started at Vernon like he wanted to kill him and in truth he did. Harry was a wonderful kid. Why would anyone want to do such a thing to him, to anyone for that matter? If only looks could kill, Vernon would have been dead long ago.

   Dumbledore stared at the turtle and sighed. "I really don't want to know, but how much did this man hurt Harry, before, I mean?" 

   Sirius sighed. "Harry said they've been hurting him since the beginning of the summer. As soon as they got your letter, the beatings came. He says that they have been blaming the whole think that happened on him and telling him that he deserves to be dead. Harry was almost broken down when I got to him Albus. He believes every word they said now and he has so many marks on his body that I don't think there's one patch on skin on him that hasn't been injured."

   Dumbledore's eyes were grave. "Did Harry tell you this willingly?"

   Sirius sighed. "I don't think he did. He wouldn't tell me at first but then he got himself all upset and everything just sort of spilled out, though I don't think he meant to say them. But I could tell he knew I would be relaying some of it too you and as long as none of it leaves this room, he'll be fine."

   Dumbledore nodded. The cloaked figure sighed and whipped his eyes. "He'll have to have a trial, won't he Albus?" The cloaked figure said. 

   Dumbledore nodded again. "We'll have to talk to Harry about that first before we decide anything." He sighed. "Now there's another matter we must get too. What happened to you and Harry after you left the Dursleys?" 

   Sirius sighed and lend back into his chair. " Nothing major happened until we reached London. By then, Death Eaters were hot on our trail. We had a run in with a few just a few blocks away from the Leaky Cauldron. They put Harry and I under the Cruciatus curse, but I was able to shake it off long enough to attack. We then stayed at the Leaky Cauldron for the night. Today started out okay. Harry and I went around Diagon Alley collecting his schools supplies. We had a little trouble in Flourish and Blotts but I really don't feel like getting into that," The Cloaked figure snorted, imagining what Sirius could do in that bookstore. "We then went to get his phoenix,' Dumbledore met his eyes. "I could smell that there was a Death Eater near by and I was right. Harry and I struggled to get back to the Leaky Cauldron and finally did. Harry must have dodged the killing curse about five times or so and we finally found out that the Death Eater was Malfoy. What surprised me the most was how Harry talked and fought Malfoy. He talked back to him with a kind of courage that I've never seen in a fourteen, almost fifteen-year-old boy. And the amount of power that was in his curse. It sent Malfoy flying and I think he broke a few ribs while he was at it. After that we came straight here."

   Dumbledore nodded, deep in thought. "It seems that Harry's powers are getting stronger sooner then we thought."

   Sirius smiled. "Just like good old James." The Cloaked figure smiled too, remembering.  

   Dumbledore sighed. "Well, there's not much more we can do able his powers right now."

   The cloaked figure shot his head up. "What about Flame though?"  Sirius also looked up at their ex-headmaster, waiting for Dumbledore to answer.

   Dumbledore sighed. "Flame had always been destined for Harry. You both know that as well as I do. I know that his past history with Flame my not be a happy one, but I will have to tell him all about it. That includes Cyrie and Fawkes."

   Both Sirius and the cloaked figure nodded. They didn't really want to talk too much about that. It was a sore subject for all of them. Especially because of James.

   Dumbledore sighed. "I believe that's all we need to discuss, unless there is anything else, Sirius?"

   Sirius lend forward, resting his arms against his knees. "There's just one more thing." He said.

   Dumbledore nodded and Sirius continued. "When we were in Diagon Alley I noticed that you asked Harry to buy extra books for special courses, but with all the books you ask him to get, I feel that maybe it might be too much for him. He'll be taking more courses then Hermione did in her third year, and she had to use a time-turner to get to all of them. She was also worn out a lot from what Harry and Ron have told me and with what Harry has to face through this year, He might just be too worn out to do it."

   Dumbledore nodded. "Minerva voiced the same concerns to me when we sat down to go through the course schedules. Don't worry about it Sirius. To make up from all the extra courses, some of the normal course Harry is taking will end earlier. He will be learn more advanced things in his special lessons anyways, so he won't fall behind everyone else. Quite the contrary. I think he will be ahead of them a great deal. He will even find the courses a lot easier and I won't be surprised if he scores higher marks the Ms. Granger."

   Sirius chuckled. "Hermione won't like that. And Harry won't be able to explain it to her either. To bad I can't warn him about it." 

   The cloaked figure laughed. "Oh, poor Harry. I've seen Hermione, well, of what you guys have shown me of her and I hope Harry comes out of that alive."

   Sirius smiled. "Oh he will. Even if I have to chain Hermione to the girls dormitory to do it."

   Dumbledore smiled. "Well that's settled. Anything else?"

   Neither of them moved. Dumbledore smiled at them. "Right then. I have to go have a short talk with Harry. I'll have a house elf bring you some food," he gestured to the cloaked figure, who just nodded. "Sirius, Why don't you go help McGonagall set up a room for Remus and Mr. And Mrs. Weasley." 

   Sirius nodded and left. The cloaked figure turned to Dumbledore. "Albus, when am I going to be able to meet Harry?"

   Dumbledore sighed. "I don't know. Not for a while yet I'm afraid. Harry's been through a lot and getting use to you will be too hard on him at the moment."

   The cloaked figure nodded sadly and looked down at the floor. Dumbledore put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "You also need time still to adjust to everything. If something happened to you, you could end up right back where you were a few weeks ago." The Cloaked figure just nodded. Dumbledore smiled and made his way out of the office leaving the Cloaked man behind to ponder on his own sad thoughts. 

   Harry sat quietly by the window in the boys' dormitory with Flame perched on the windowsill in from of him. He noticed that her colours shone more brightly in the moonlight then they did in the daylight. 

   He sighed and lend back against the wall. So many things had happened n such a short amount of time and it had all started with that dream Harry had had. Harry shivered as he remembered the dream that started it all. The dream with Voldemort.

   Harry had a feeling that Voldemort had finally found a way to get to him. The way those Death Eaters had been chanting couldn't have been good. And Voldemort had seen him, talked to him. Maybe it was an ancient spell Voldemort was using or something like that. 

   And what about these people with the golden phoenix emblem on their robes. Why had been seemed so interested with him? Who were they trying to protect? What did they have to do with anything that evolves Voldemort?

   "Harry?" Harry turned to face the door only to see Professor Dumbledore. Harry was a little surprised at first. In al his years at Hogwarts he had never once seen Dumbledore inside Gryffindor Tower. They Harry realized that Dumbledore seemed to fit here. More then he would in any of the other houses. He must have been a Gryffindor.

  "Prof…I mean, Albus, what are you doing here?" _'Stupid question,' Harry thought. _'He's the Headmaster. He can be here if he wants too.'__

   Dumbledore smiled. "I just came to check on you Harry, and to talk to you." He said, as he sat down on the edge of Harry's bed.

   Harry sighed. "I'm guessing you wanted to talk with me about my dream"

   "Well, yes. But I also came to talk to you about Flame there." He gestured towards the phoenix. Harry sat confused for a moment.

   "Why Flame?" He asked.

   Dumbledore sighed. "There are things about Flame Harry that you need to know. One of which is why I had brought her to the Magical Menagerie, but first let's talk about that dream of yours. Tell me what happened exactly as you remember it."

   Harry nodded. "Well, I was in my room. Just thinking mostly. I noticed I had dropped my Transfiguration book and dropped it. I went to pick it up but then I hear something. It sounded like someone screaming in pain. It was soft at first, but then it got louder. My scar started to hurt and the next thing I knew one side of my room just exploded. Voldemort walked through the hole and looked at me. When our eyes meet, the scene of my bedroom vanished and we were in a dark forest now. Death Eaters who were chanting something I couldn't make out under their breath had surrounded me. Voldemort then said 'Nice of you to join us, Potter.' I then noticed that he was torturing this poor man. He lifted the curse and the man stood. He had a golden phoenix emblem pined to his robes like the people your introduced me to earlier. He seemed afraid when he saw me. I don't know why though. Voldemort then began to ask him questions. He wanted to know. What was it know, he wanted to know… 'Who is the one that the Order protects?' The man still refused to answer, so Voldemort killed him." Harry looked down. He didn't really enjoy watching Voldemort kill people or torture them, but he was always forced to watch, never able to intervene. 

   Dumbledore sat in thought for a moment, scratching his bread as he thought. Harry watched him, and then voiced the question he had been dying to ask. "Sir, is Voldemort able to get to me now?"

   Dumbledore sighed. "I think, Harry, that Voldemort has found away to get to you. I think he achieved this by means of the bond you two share from the curse that failed."

   Harry let this sink in before speaking again. "You mean instead of me just seeing what happens, Voldemort can acutely bring me there, in a physical sense."

   "Yes, Harry. But only through your dreams, like they did before. But also, since he did not harm you last time, we have no way of knowing if he can harm you or not."

   Harry nodded again, starting to understand what he meant. Then something else started to bother him. "Sir, the three people you introduced me too earlier, they have the same emblem on their robes that the man in my dream had. What does it mean?"

   "There are many things about that emblem that I'm not allowed to discuss with you at this time Harry. However, I can say that the emblem represents people who are part of an Order called 'The Order of the Phoenix'. One of the Orders main jobs at the moment is to defeat Voldemort."

   "But Voldemort's after them. He's trying to discover who they protect, who ever that may be, and try to hurt them."

   Dumbledore nodded, "Yes, but don't worry too much about that. The Order will take care of it."

   Harry sighed and turned his gaze to Flame. Dumbledore did the same. "What is it about Flame that you wanted me to hear, sir?" Harry asked.

   Dumbledore sighed. "I need to tell you about her past, Harry. Though it will be hard for me to do so."

   Harry looked at him confused. "Why?"

   Dumbledore sighed. "Because Flames mother, Harry, was a phoenix named Cyrie. Her owner was your father, James Potter."

   Harry's eyes opened wide. "What?"

   Dumbledore smiled. "But what ever happened to Cyrie?" Harry asked. 

   Dumbledore's face became grave. "She was killed, by Voldemort."

   Harry sagged back as the wall. _'Figures,' He thought to himself. Voldemort killed everyone it seemed. It was only a matter of time before someone else he knew died._

   "Why?" Harry asked, not sure if he acutely wanted to know.

   "Phoenixes protect their owners and families Harry. As long as Cyrie was alive, Voldemort couldn't get anywhere near James, you or Lily. So, he had her killed. That's why you and your parents had to go under the Fidleus charm. It was the only other way we could think of to protect your family. But you know how that turned out."

   Harry nodded. Dumbledore continued. "Flame was still too young at the time too be able to protect you and she wasn't ready to have an owner, but we had known right away that her owner would be you, Harry."

   Harry met his gaze. "How?"

   "Phoenixes births are very rare, Harry. Before Cyrie, Harry, the last-born phoenix had been Fawkes. When Phoenixes are born, they sort are shown a picture from the future of the ones their destined to protect. The phoenix can chose to share this knowledge with someone and that's what Flame did. What we say was a version of the future you, which is what you look like now."

   "So you mean when Cyrie was born she was shown a picture of my father. The same goes for Fawkes. He was shown a picture of you." Harry said, piecing things together.

   "Well, with Fawkes it was a little different. Fawkes is a very old phoenix Harry. He was first owner by Godric Gryffindor. Then when Godric died, he sort of just flew around the Earth, waiting. You see Harry, phoenixes can live forever, if their not killed. When Godric died, Fawkes was shown a new picture of a future owner. Me."

   Harry nodded. "So if Cyrie had lived, but my father had still died, she would have been shown a new picture of a future owner?"

   Dumbledore nodded. "Yes Harry." He sighed. "But there is more I must tell you. When Cyrie was killed, I knew Voldemort would go after Flame. So I hid her. There are still a few phoenixes left in the world besides Fawkes and Flame so I knew if I brought her to a shop and told the shop keep not to say where she was from that it would be okay. And it was. Voldemort never found Flame. And now she's old enough to be able to do the job she was meant for. To protect you."

   Harry nodded as Flame flew into his lap. He looked down at her and her gaze told him that she would do her job, though he didn't quite know how he felt about being protected by a phoenix.

   Dumbledore smiled. "I'd also like to point something out to you Harry." Harry looked up at him. "Fawkes is Flame's father."

   "What?" Harry exclaimed. Flame sang out at the sound of her father's name being said. She knew, Harry noticed. 

   Dumbledore smile grew. Harry sighed. "So what now?" Harry asked, looking at Dumbledore once more.

   Dumbledore sighed. "Now, Harry, we will try our best to protect you and defeat Voldemort. But first, I suggest you get some rest. You and Sirius have had a hard few days." And with that, he stood and headed for the door. But then he paused for a moment. He turned back to Harry; who was watching him.

   "It's my understanding that you will be needing a magical sword this year for Defence Against the Dark Arts, I'm I correct?" Harry nodded and Dumbledore smiled. "Then here." He pulled a sword out of thin air and handed it to Harry.

   Harry grabbed it by the hilt and held it closer. He recognized it immediately. It was the sword he pulled out of the sorting hat in his second year. Godric Gryffindor's sword. Harry looked back up at Dumbledore, puzzled.

   "Harry, your magical sword is suppose to be loyal to you and you alone. You should have a sort of bond with it. Godric's sword, Harry, is loyal to you and you're familiar with it. It would only make sense that you use it.' Dumbledore said.

   Harry looked back down at the sword. "Thank you, sir."

   Dumbledore smiled and said, "Good night, Harry.' With that, he was gone.

   Harry walked over to his bed and sat down, still holding the sword. Sirius had said that he would be getting a magical sword at Hogwarts, be he hadn't expected this. This sword had once belonged to Godric Gryffindor and Dumbledore had trusted him enough to give it to him.

   He shook his head and laid the sword down in his trunk. It had been a long day and all he wanted to do was sleep. So he quickly changed into his pyjamas and climbed into bed. As soon as his head hit the pillow he was asleep and Flame silently kept watch.

AN: You know the drill. Please review so that I now my story doesn't suck!!! Thanks!!!

  
  
  
  
 


	8. Power and Puzzles

**AN**: Hey Everyone!!! Here is the long awaited Chapter Seven. I've spent a lot of time the other day typing this up for all of you so be thankful. I literally just finished chapter eight and sent it off to Luke for editing so I should be able to post that one soon as well. I wan to try and get as much of this story typed up as I can before I go down East at the end of this next week, because after that I may not be able to post anything more until September cause I won't have access to a computer. Anyways. I hope you enjoy this chapter and if you asked questions in your reviews, I've answer, or tried to answer, as much of them as I could and the bottom of this chapter. Have fun reading!!!

– Chapter Seven –

Power and Puzzles 

   Harry couldn't sleep. He had awakened about an hour ago from another nightmare of the Third Task. He still couldn't get the images out of his head. But that wasn't all that wouldn't leave him alone. The memories of the Dursleys were still fresh in his mind. How they had hurt him and neglected him. How they had forced him to the point where he almost committed suicide, more then once. How he had written all those nasty poems and notes about death, pain, and suicide. He hoped that Sirius, or anyone for that matter, never found out about that.

He sat up and sighed. Dumbledore had been right. He was tired. But he would find no rest in his sleep. Not where those memories haunted him. He wouldn't find peace there. He'd have to do something else to try and rest cause sleep was not an option. 

   He turned and pulled his glasses on over his eyes. Flame was perched by his bedside, floating slightly in her sleep. He was still trying to process what Dumbledore had said about her. It was all still too hard to believe. Fawkes was Flame's father, and Harry owned her. _'I guess it will just take some getting use too,' he thought._

   Harry decided to go down into the Common Room and just sit by the fire. That had always helped comfort him and allowed him to think. With that in mind, he pulled back the sheets of the bed and climbed out. The floor was cold against his feet and he shivered slightly at the cold air in the room.

   He decided to bring his school cloak to keep him warm so he grabbed it and threw it on as he headed towards the door. Little did he know that there was a beautiful scarlet phoenix perched on the windowsill outside, watching him closely.

   He slowly made his way into the Common Room only to find that Sirius was still up and was quietly reading a book by the fire. Harry noticed that his Godfather looked a lot happier and heather then he every remembered seeing him.

   Sirius looked up when he heard someone enter the room. He frowned slightly at seeing Harry. "You look dreadful Harry. You should rest."

   Harry chuckled slightly as he sat down on the sofa bedside Sirius. "I tried. It worked for about an hour. But I can't sleep anymore."

   Sirius sighed and put his book down. He had a feeling what this might be about. "More nightmares?"

   Harry nodded. Sirius already knew about Harry having nightmares, having had to clam him down from one, one night when they had been on the run. It wasn't the prettiest sight Sirius had ever seen, but he had tried his best to comfort his Godson, who really had needed it at the time.

   "Do you want to talk about it?" Sirius asked, knowing the answer could very well be 'No'. Harry wasn't the type of person to like to talk about their feelings. He always thought he was burdening people with his problems when that was never the case.

   "I'm not sure." Harry answered honestly. He was sort of starting to get use to having Sirius around all the time and acting like a father figure for him. And frankly, he enjoyed it. Sirius was the closest thing Harry had ever had to a real father and he felt that he could share almost anything with him. But there were some tings, like this, that he wasn't sure he could tell anyone about.

   "You know you can tell me anything Harry. I've been told I make a great listener. Well, I do now anyways." Sirius said, trying to make Harry laugh little. In truth he was a good listener, but in the past, before his days in Azkaban, he never waited for anyone or anything. 

   Harry looked up at Sirius, too tried to pick up on Sirius's joke. His dark emerald eyes showed Sirius just how tormented he really was. "I know. It's just that sometimes… sometimes I find it hard to explain things. Even to you."

   Sirius nodded in understanding. "You can take as long as you need Harry." As Harry looked up at him again, Sirius could almost see his best friend looking out at him from those eyes. Harry wasn't all that different from James. If Harry had been giving the same life that James had had, he would only be able to tell them apart by the eyes.

   "It's just…" Harry began. "No matter what I do, the… memories from the Tournament won't go away. It's almost as if… I'm cursed to re-live it every night. I keep seeing the same things. Cedric's death, Voldemort's rebirth, the Death Eaters, my parents' echoes coming out of Voldemort's wand, Cedric's final request…" Harry trailed off finding the memories just too painful.

   Sirius moved closer to him and pulled him into a hug. He knew how hard all this must be on Harry, having gone through something similar. He knew it hurt and that the hurt would never fully go away.

   "It's my fault Cedric's dead." Harry whispered, staring at the raging fire.

   Sirius leaned back a bit and forced Harry to met his gaze. "It's not your fault Harry. Stop blaming yourself for it. You couldn't have done anything. You couldn't have known what was going to happen."

   "But I could have done something. If I hadn't asked Cedric to take the cup with me, he wouldn't have been killed." Harry answered, finding it harder to speak as his throat felt tight. 

   "Harry, listen to me. You couldn't have known that the cup was a Portkey. You were only trying to be fair. You couldn't have known. The Diggory's don't blame you, Dumbledore doesn't blame you and I certainly don't blame you." Sirius didn't know if this was a hopeless battle or not. In Harry's case, sometimes you just had to say the right thing for him to believe you.

   Harry nodded. He knew his Godfather was right, but he couldn't help but blame himself. If only he had done things a little differently, then maybe Cedric would still be here.

   Sirius sighed. He wasn't sure he was getting anywhere with this. Harry really need to get some rest before he sat down to try and sort through everything that happened, but he wouldn't get any rest with these nightmares plaguing him. 

   Harry looked back at the raging fire, his mind elsewhere. He wanted to stop thinking about what had happened and wanted to try and deal with everything else, like the up coming school year. Ron and Hermione would be getting here tomorrow and maybe with them here they could put their heads together and think of some fun things to do.

   That's when Harry remembered. "Sirius?" Sirius looked down at him. "You said that you'd tell me about those books I had to get. You know, the ones you and dad wrote."

   Sirius sighed. He really didn't feel like talking about this at the moment, but he promised Harry. "Well, we wrote them a year or so after we graduated. Your mother was pregnant with you at the time and both James and I were working tirelessly at the Ministry trying to capture as many Death Eaters as we could. James finally decided to sit down one day and just write about some of the things we did and some tips to help others. I, of course, wanted to write something on Dueling. I was one of the best ones, besides James that is, and as I recall, Hogwarts was acutely using my books for Defense against the Darks Arts. Of course after I was put in Azkaban I guess they stopped using them."

   Harry nodded. "I'm sorry Sirius."

   Sirius shook his head. "Don't be. It's not your fault. At least I know that my books will still be put to good uses."  Harry looked at him and smiled.

   Sirius smiled back. "Oh, that reminds me. Go get the first Volume of James' books and mine and bring them here. I want to show you something."

   Harry nodded and was just about to hop of the sofa to get them when they heard something. A scream pierced the silence of the Common Room. Both Harry and Sirius stood immediately. Sirius pulled out his wand and Harry did the same, glad that he had left his wand inside his robes.

   There was suddenly an explosion. The portrait burst open and a cold chill went up Harry's spine. He could faintly hear screaming in the background and then it got louder. _'No, please. Not Harry! Take me instead!!!' 'Lily take Harry and run! It's him! Go, I'll hold him off!!' 'Please No!!!!'_ Harry screamed in his mind.

   Dementors slowly swiped into the room. Harry tried to focus on a happy memory before the screams of his mother and father drowned everything out. He heard all the Dementors suck in a rattling breath and the cold seemed to crash down upon him.

   Sirius leaped forward and cried, "EXPECTO PATRONUM!!!" A silver wolf erupted from the end of Sirius's wand and charged towards the Dementors. A few stumbled back and exploded, but the others kept coming. Harry saw one of the Dementors grab Sirius by the neck and flung him across the room, away from him. Sirius slammed into the wall and fell hard. He tried to stand, but failed. A Dementor glided towards Sirius and prepared to lower its hood. "No!!!" Harry screamed and raised his was towards the Dementor as it's mouth came closer to Sirius's.

   _'Come on Harry!!! You can do this!!! I know you can!!! Just concentrate!!!'_ Said a voice from within Harry's head that was not his own and with a force and power unknown to him, Harry shouted, "EXPECTO PATRONUM!!!" The stag erupted from Harry's wand. But it was no longer silver. It was pulsing gold. The stag galloped towards the Dementor and slammed into it hard. It felt back, exploded with such a force that Harry's patronous expanded and filled the room, whipping out the remaining Dementors. They all exploded with a show of red sparks.

   Harry collapsed onto the floor just as Professor Dumbledore and McGonagall walked in followed by the three people Harry had met earlier that evening. McGonagall along with Abigail, Donavan, and Ethan made their way over to Sirius to make sure he was okay. Harry tried to get up and go to him, but his legs gave out from under him and Dumbledore gently pushed him back down.

   "Sirius will be fine Harry." He said.

   Harry just nodded. He felt awful, like all of his strength had gone into that attack. His forehead was dripping in sweat and he was visibly shaken. 

   He rested his head on the side of the sofa as Dumbledore took out a huge slab of chocolate and handed it to him. " I want you to eat all of this Harry." Harry nodded and started to nibble on the chocolate. He felt the warmth spread through him and the affects of the Dementors was starting to ware off, but he still felt sick and drained. Dumbledore patted him lightly on the back. "Just rest here a moment, okay?" Harry nodded again and Dumbledore left him to go over to Sirius.

  Sirius sat on the floor leaning against the wall. He was also pretty shaken, but he wasn't nearly as bad as Harry. Dumbledore knelt down beside him. "What happened?"

   Sirius looked up at him. "I'm not sure anymore. One minute, Harry and I were talking and the next there was a dozen Dementors in here. I tried to drive them off, but they got the better of me. One of them was going to give me the kiss, but Harry managed to stop it, I think."

   Dumbledore nodded. He had seen Harry's patronous. He still wasn't quite sure how that had happened though. He pulled out some more chocolate and handed it to Sirius. Sirius took it and asked, "Is Harry okay?"

   Dumbledore smiled. "He is so exhausted that he can barley lift his head, but he will be fine with some rest." Dumbledore stood and faced Abigail, Ethan and Donavan. "I believe those new wards we have been discuss should be put up now. We can afford to wait until tomorrow." All three nodded and swiftly left the room.

   Dumbledore turned to McGonagall. "There is a man up in my office that I had to leave suddenly. Will you please inform him of what has happened and tell them I will be there in a moment. And please don't be surprised to see him. I'll explain everything once I get there."

   "Of course." And then she too was on her way.

   Sirius got up from the floor and moved swiftly over to Harry. Harry watched him closely, but was still too tired to move. "How are you?" Sirius asked as he knelt down beside him.

   "Tried," was Harry's simple reply. He looked up at Dumbledore. "What did I do?"

   Dumbledore sighed. "Don't worry about it Harry. I will explain it all later. But I will tell you that the reason you're taking those special courses is because of what you just did. Understand?"

   Harry nodded. He was feeling much too tired to question Dumbledore any further. Sirius gently picked him up and stood. He frowned slightly when he realized how light Harry was and he was again reminded of the Dursleys. _'Dame those Dursleys!'_ he thought to himself.

   Before Sirius went up stairs to the dormitory with Harry, Dumbledore said, "Sirius, after you get Harry into bed, would you come to my office for a moment. There are things we need to discuss and don't worry about Harry. I'll have that taken care of." Sirius nodded and Dumbledore left, repairing the portrait and having an argument with it as he went.

   Sirius slowly climbed the stairs to the boy's dormitory and gently laid Harry down in bed, being careful not to wake Flame. Harry watched his Godfather before asking, "Sirius, what were you going to show me before, you know?"

   Sirius sighed and sat down on the bed beside Harry. He leaned forward and pulled out two of Harry's textbooks. One of his and one of James'. He first held James's up and opened the book to the first page. He showed it to Harry who had to lean closer to see it. There was a dedication written there. It read:

_To my loving wife, Lily._

Who has always supported me in whatever I have done.

To my best friends Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew

For being the best friends anyone could ever have and for all the fun we had

And lastly to my son, Harry

Who has been my joy in life from the day he was born.__

"When you father finished the book, you couldn't have been more then a month old, but hey, we all loved you anyways." Sirius smiled. Harry couldn't believe what he had just read. His father had dedicated his books not only to his mother and his father's friends, but to him as well.

    Then Sirius opened up his book to the first page and showed it to Harry. There was also a dedication written there. It read:

To my three best friends James Potter, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew

Who have been the only ones to tolerate me and oh course to have fun

And to my Godson Harry,

Who has taught me so much in such a short amount of time.

   Harry looked up at Sirius puzzled. "What did you mean?"

   Sirius smiled. "Well, let's just say that before you were born I had always been a little reckless. But then when you were born I couldn't be that way. You really expected me to act crazy around an enfant. You made me, sort of change the way I acted and at the same time, I saw things different."

   Harry nodded. "You do realized that people are going to be on me all the time about my dad's books, right?"

   Sirius laughed. "I'm sure you can deal with it. Now, get some rest." He took the books and put them back down in Harry's trunk. He then pulled the covers up over Harry and put Harry's glasses on the bedside table. He was about to turn and leave when he heard Harry say, "Sirius?"

   Sirius turned back to face Harry and looked down at him. "What is it Harry?"

   Harry smiled. "Don't ever scare me like that again." He answered.

   Sirius chuckled slightly. "I'll try not too. Good night Harry." And with that, he left.

   It only took Harry and few moments to fall asleep, but again he failed to notice the beautiful scarlet Phoenix that was perched outside the window, watching him. 

   Harry walked down one of the many corridors in Hogwarts, just thinking. It was only 6 o'clock in the morning and yet Harry was already up. You would think that he would have slept for days considering how exhausted he had been the night before, but his dreams had troubled him again.

   At first they had been rather enjoyable. He had been playing on an international Quiddicth team and he had almost caught the snitch. But then he had fallen from his broom and had landed hard in the graveyard again with Cedric beside him.

   _'Why won't they just leave me alone?'_ Harry thought to himself as he continued down the hall. Ever since the Third Task these nightmares have haunted him. And now every time he woke up from them he would total forget that he was at Hogwarts and not still with the Dursleys. _'I wonder what Sirius did to Uncle Vernon anyways,'_ he thought to himself.

   Then he heard it. The beautiful song that always seemed to comfort him. The Phoenix song. Harry turned to see Flame gliding swiftly towards him. He smiled as she landed on his shoulder.

   "Sleep well?" He asked as he stocked her flaming red coat. She sang out happily and rubbed her head against his. He smiled. "I'll take that as a yes then." She saw out to him in reply. 

   "Come on then. Let's see what's for breakfast." Harry turned once again and head down in corridor in the Direction of the Great Hall.

    When Harry finally stepped into the Great Hall he saw that he was the last one to get there. Dumbledore looked up at him and smiled. "Ah, Harry. Hungry?" He asked as Harry took a seat in between Sirius and McGonagall. 

   "Starving." Harry answered as he started loading his plate.

   Sirius chuckled. "Well after driving all those Dementors away last night, I'm not in the least bit surprised. You can sure pack a punch Harry."

   Harry smiled up at him. Then a thought occurred to him. "Pro-Albus, how did the Dementors get it?" He wasn't all that use to calling his headmaster by his first name and it still felt a little weird for him.

   "We're still not entirely sure. We believe they may have come in through a secret passage, but there are so many of them that it's hard to tell," said Dumbledore.

   Harry nodded. "Also Harry, when your finished, would you please meet me out in the Entrance Hall. I would like to discuss some things with you before your friends arrive."

   "Sure." And Dumbledore left them to eat in peace.

    Harry then turned his attention back to his food and started to eat as Flame started nibbling on some fruit that he had put in a bowl for her. Sirius lend back in his chair. "So, what do you want to do today?" He asked.

   Harry shrugged. "I'm not sure. I was thinking maybe, when everyone gets here, we could all go and pay a game of Quidditch."

   Sirius smiled. "That should be fun. Al least we'll be able to play with the real balls and not with apples. Dumbledore said you could."

   Harry's mood suddenly brightened when he heard that. He hadn't played a decent game of Quidditch since his Third year. It'd be great to go flying around the Quidditch pitch looking for the snitch or just throwing the Quaffle around.

   Harry quickly finished his breakfast and made his way out into the entrance hall with Flame perched on his shoulder. He saw Dumbledore standing at the top of the stairs like he had been yesterday when he and Sirius had arrived.

   Dumbledore turned towards Harry and smiled when he realized that Flame was with him. " I see that you and Flame are getting along well."

   Harry smiled and stroked Flame. "Yes. I think she really likes me, though I don't mind. I enjoy having her around."

   Dumbledore's eyes twinkled behind his half moon glasses. "As you should." 

   Harry looked up at Dumbledore again, not caching the hidden meaning in Dumbledore's words. "So what did you want to talk to me about?" he asked.

   "I told you last night that you would be needing to talk extra courses besides your normal ones. I wanted to know if you have any questions concerning that."

   "Well," Harry began, "I was wondering why your making me take them now and why so many of them. I remember when Hermione had that time-turner back in our third year and she got totally exhausted from the amount of work she had."

   Dumbledore nodded in understanding. "Well, as you know Voldemort is back and is main target will most likely be you. We're trying to prepare you in case you end up having to face him again unexpectedly. Also, as you saw last night, your powers are getting stronger and we need to have them trained before they get too uncontrollable. But I must ask you not to worry about the amount. Your timetable has been alter so that you're only in classes about forty-five minutes longer then normal."

   Harry nodded. "But if that's the case, Voldemort being after me that is, why is it that no one else will be taking this extra lessons with me?"

  "That, Harry, is a matter that I'm not at liberty to discuss with you at this time." Said Dumbledore.

   Harry sighed. He didn't like it when things were kept from him, which seemed to happen a lot. But what could he do about it. "So, what types of extra course will I be taking?" he asked.

   "You'll be taking more Defense Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, Care of the Magic Creatures, Potions (Harry groaned), and more Divinations." Harry sighed and put his head down in his hands. More Divinations and more Potions. This year was going to kill him. Dumbledore smiled. "I take it you don't like Divinations."

   Harry shook his head. "No, it's just…. It's just I can't stand Professor Twelawney, sir. I can't seem to be able to go through one lesson without her predicting my death at least once." Dumbledore chuckled upon hearing this.

   "Not to worry, Harry. In light of the present events, Professor Twelawney will not be returning to Hogwarts this year. Family matters, I'm afraid." Dumbledore smiled at the look of relief on Harry's face. 

   "But, who will be teaching us then?" Harry asked.

   "An old friend of mine named Atticus Toggart. He is a real seer and has been kind enough to take Twelawney's place while she is away. He will be the one giving you your extra lessons in Divinations." Said Dumbledore.

   Just then the school doors opened to reveal Remus Lupin, Hermione Granger, and the entire Weasley family. Ron and Hermione looked up to see Dumbledore standing at the top of the steps and then noticed Harry standing beside him with a beautiful scarlet phoenix perched on his shoulder.

   "Harry!" The both shouted, dropping their trunks then running madly up the steps to greet him. Flame seemed to sense what was going to happen and took flight just in time. Ron and Hermione both hugged Harry at the same time and he hugged them back. He had missed them so much. Hermione and Ron pulled away. "Oh, Harry, we're so glad you're alright. We were so worried." Said Hermione as Flame reclaimed her place on Harry's shoulder.

   "Ya mate. We thought that maybe You-Know-Who had got you or something." Ron added only to earn a glare from Hermione.

   "Well, Voldemort didn't get me, but some other things did. Come on, I'll tell you on the way." Said Harry. And they grabbed their trunks and headed up towards Gryffindor Tower.

   It was then that Ron and Hermione noticed the Scarlet Phoenix on Harry's shoulder. "Harry, where did that phoenix come from?" said Hermione.

   Harry smiled. "Well I guess that's the best place to start the story. I got her yesterday, when Sirius and I were in Diagon Alley getting my school supplies. At the very bottom of the list it asked me to get a phoenix, though I didn't think I was going to find one. Phoenixes are really rare."

   Hermione nodded in agreement. "Yes, they are extremely rare. But I thought Phoenixes choose their owners. They're shown a mental picture of their owners before they find them."

  "That's what Dumbledore said. But Dumbledore also said that Flame's mental picture was of me. He said that she was around me a lot when I still lived with my parents," said Harry.

   "You had a Phoenix around you when you were younger?! Wicked," said Ron

   "Not just wicked, Ron. Harry, did Dumbledore tell you what Phoenixes are cable of doing to little children?" said Hermione, making Harry a little uneasy.

   "No. Why, is it bad?" he asked, frowning a little.

   She made a face. "Oh, no Harry, I didn't mean it that way. Phoenixes are very loyal and loving creatures. They're the symbol for good. I read in a book somewhere that little children who have been around Phoenixes as children are generally very kind and work their hardest for the side of good."

   "Well, that's not a bad thing," said Harry. "Why did you sound worried about it?"

   Hermione shook her head. "Never mind. It's nothing." But Harry could see that it was more then just nothing, but he decided not to push the issue. 

   "So what happened after you found the little note from Dumbledore?" said Ron.

   "I went to the Magical Meragine's to see if they had any Phoenixes and they did. Flame here." Flame straighten up on Harry's shoulder and showed herself off proudly. Harry looked up at her and shook his head. "Fine, be a show-off." Flame just merely sang out at this.

   "Anyways, when I came out, there was a Death Eater watching me," said Harry, turning his attention back to his friends.

   "You didn't get hurt, did you?" asked Hermione as they reached the portrait which Dumbledore had restored. The Fat lady was still very shaken though and had only agreed to continue because Dumbledore had reassured her that there were more things being done to protect Hogwarts from entry by people with ill intentions. 

   "No. As Sirius would say, I kicked Malfoy's ass. Cherry Cluster." Said Harry, and the portrait swung open to let them in. 

   They entered the Common room and Hermione and Ron dumped their trunks by the sofa. Harry flopped down in a nearby chair and sighed. He was still extremely tired from last night, but knew that there was no chance of him getting anymore sleep. Besides, he wanted to spend some time with his friends. He hadn't seen them since the ride home.

   Ron sat himself down on the sofa across from Harry. He could tell something was bugging his friend and he wanted to know what it was. "What's the matter, Harry?" said Ron.

   Harry just shook his head. _'I don't need this.'_ "Nothing."

   Hermione saw right through it. "Harry, you know you can't lie very well. We know all about the Dementor attack at the Dursleys and then with the attack yesterday, you can't tell us that you're just_ fine." Hermione crossed her arms over her chest making it perfectly clear to Harry that they weren't going to let him off the hook._

   Harry sighed in defeat. But what could he tell them? They'd see right through him, wouldn't they? "I'm just tired. I haven't been getting much sleep lately and Dumbledore just informed me that I will be taking extra course this year on top of the ones I already have. It's just all starting to get to be too much." It wasn't a total lie. He was stressed out about all of that, but he was more worried about his nightmares and about this growing fear in his cheat that this is all a dream and that his Uncle is just going to wake him up with a good beating any minute now.

   Hermione looked interested. "Extra lessons?"

   Harry looked up at her too see amassment and a bit of jealously creep into her eyes. He silently laughed at her._ 'Same old Hermione,' he thought. "Ya. I need to take more Defense, Transfiguration, Divination, Care of the Magic Creatures, and, oh, they're starting up the Dueling club again."_

   Ron scowled. "Divination! You mean you have to put up with that old bat even more now, oh man, do I ever feel sorry for you."

   Harry laughed. "Don't worry about it, Ron. Supposedly Twelawney had to leave. Family matters I heard, and an old friend of Dumbledore's, who is a real seer, will be filing in for her."

   Ron's mouth dropped open. "You mean, we don't have to put up with that crazy old coot anymore?" Harry nodded. "Alright!" Ron jumped up and punched the air, which startled Flame. She sang out in annoyance. 

   "So who is this friend?" Hermione asked, watching Ron jump up and down like an idiot.

   Harry shrugged also watching Ron make a fool of himself. "His name is Atticus Toggart, I think, but I haven't met him yet."

   Flame sang out again. "Ron, I'd stop that. Younger Phoenixes have been known to get very irritated and have even sometimes-" To late. Flame had left Harry's shoulder and was now trying to burn Ron's hair.  

   Ron ducked out of the way just barely missing the flames. Hermione merely shook her head. "I tried to warn you."

   The cloaked figure walked slowly down the hall and stopped at a window that over looked the Quidditch pitch. He looked out and sighed. Harry, Ron, and Hermione had left Gryffindor Tower awhile ago and were now outside playing Quidditch with Sirius, Remus and a few of the other Weasleys.

   He watched in amusement as Harry pretended to see the snitch to throw Sirius off and dived straight down to the ground. Sirius quickly followed. Then, centimeters from the ground, Harry pulled out of his dive. He laughed as Sirius smashed into the ground. Luckily he wasn't hurt… too badly.

   Harry then saw the snitch for real this time and quickly dived after it. He caught it easily. The figure smiled. But it faded as quickly as it had come. He had lost that. He had lost the chance to spend time with his son. Voldemort had taken his son away from him and did god only knows what to him. They still couldn't figure out what Voldemort had done to him. Sirius had said that all Voldemort wanted was for him to suffer, be he wasn't just suffering. He was starting to lose his mind.

   The cloaked figure shook his head. _'You can't think about that. It will only make things worst,' he said to himself. But how much worst could things get. He was supposed to stay in Dumbledore's office, out of sight. No one was even supposed to know he was here. The only people that did know were Dumbledore, Sirius, Remus and now Professor McGonagall. _

   He watched Harry make fun of Sirius for crashing and smiled as Sirius started to chase him. Reluctantly, he pulled away from the window and started to head back to Dumbledore's office. But when Professor Snape rounded the corner, he saw nothing. The hall was empty. Snape stood there for a moment, thinking that he had heard footsteps. He turned and head back down to the dungeons as the cloaked figure hidden in the shadows silently laughed at him. 

**AN**: Hope you enjoyed that chapter and as I said before, chapter eight will be out soon. Please review and my thanks to the following for reviewing:

   SweetPnut731 – **Thanks for your review and the complement. I tried my best to follow what JK has done.**

**   Isis Storm –** I've got word back now so the spelling mistakes are completely fixed. Go me!

**   Gigi – **The tried to make this book as interesting as possible so you guys don't lose interest and now I know it's working. Thanks! I must be doing something right.

**   BookWorm88 – **My mom said the same thing1 I guess it's just because I've read to many mystery stories. Hope this chapter satisfied your dying need to read. 

**   Chocolate Frog – **I'm hurrying, I'm hurrying!

**   Amelia –** Thanks1 I've tried my best to make this story as detailed as possible. I hate reading stories that have great plots, but they move too quickly because there isn't much detail. I'm pretty sure you feel the same.

**   Kyntor – **The reason I didn't have Harry do that is because where there's one Death Eater, there's sure to be more. Plus they had to get to Hogwarts. It's not safe for Harry to be out and about even with Padfoot.

**   Smfandonja,** **Laterose and Lions Blood –** You're not going to find out who the cloaked figure is until chapter eighteen. I'm sorry, but you found out the same time Harry does. You'll just have to wait!

**   Isis Stormwing – **To tell you the truth, I think you're right. I remember reading that somewhere. I'll have to look it up. And I'll try and write a name guide thingy as soon as I get the time. I forgot that most of these names you guys might not be able to pronounce. Stupid!

**   Faith – **You think you've found out who my little cloaked figure is. THAT'S NOT FAIR! I thought I had that covered. Could you email me privately and tell me whom you think it is cause I've got to stop people from finding out!

Also a big thanks too:

**Jemma, Hayes, Yana, Von, Angelis, Iniysa, and Esperanza.** I really am glad that you reviewed. Please review peoples, I want to here from you!!!


	9. The Order's Secret

**AN: **Okay, here's chapter eight. I told you I'd have it out soon. I'm not sure when chapter nine will be out. I'm going to start typing it up after I'm finished with this. Just to let you all know. I have from chapter nine to twenty-two written out on paper. Now all I have to do is type it up on the computer! It's a little depressing. I'm almost finished writing Harry's year and you guys don't even now how his year starts yet. Oh, well, there's nothing I can do about that. Hope you guys have fun reading this! Enjoy!

– Chapter Eight –

The Order's Secret 

   The rest of the summer just seemed to fly by to Harry. But his birthday had to have been the best. Everyone had gotten together behind his back and panned a surprise party for him. They had almost given him a heart attack when he had entered the common room and they all jumped out yelling 'Surprise!' But he enjoyed it thoroughly nonetheless. It was his first real birthday party that he could remember. 

   He had gotten many presents. Some had been extremely predictable, like Hermione's. It had been a book, surprisingly, that was like a spell journal. It kept a record of all the spells he had learned from his first year to his fourth and Hermione said that it would update itself every time he learned a new spell or charm. He could even make notes in it on the different charms and spells to study from. 

   Sirius' present had been the best though. Both Sirius and Remus had taken him out of the room and gave him a Lightening Bolt, the best new broom out there and it was modeled for seekers. They had even bought him his own carrying case to go with it. They had also made him swear not to tell anyone because they wanted to see the looks on everyone's face at the first Quidditch match when he came out carrying a Lightening Bolt. The Weasley twins had given him a box full of WWW ideas and Ginny had given him a bracelet that she had made with the Gryffindor colours. He thanked them all and gave Ginny a little kiss one the cheek, which made her blush profoundly. 

   Ron had given him his own chess set saying that he would need the practice and Molly Weasley had backed him a huge bag of treats. Remus had given his own crystal ball (Ron snorted at this) and a neat looking watch, which not only told the time, but also would allow him to become invisible and breath underwater.

   Dumbledore's present (Harry had been surprise that the headmaster had gotten him one) had puzzled Harry. It had been a very old book full of complicated spells and little journal notes, but they were written in a langue Harry had never seen before. Dumbledore had said that it had been James' spell journal and that one of these days; he would be able to read it. Harry had merely shook his head in confusion at this. 

   Since his birthday, they had all played Quidditch everyday and sat in the common room discussing a variety of subjects. Harry, Ron, and Hermione had also spent time in the library, trying to discover what the golden Phoenix emblem meant. Harry had told them about his dream and about the three people that kept popping up in the most unexpected places that had the emblem on them. It wasn't until the very last day of summer vacation that they found anything.

   "I knew I had seen that symbol somewhere," said Hermione, sitting back down at the table with Harry and Ron, holding a very thick and old book. She opened it to the proper page and showed Harry and Ron. The symbol they had been looking for was displayed at the middle of the page with a title under it.

   "The Order of the Phoenix?" said Harry in confusion. What was that suppose to be? Maybe this was what Voldemort was looking for. Harry frowned. The name sounded very familiar, but he couldn't remember ever having heard it.

   "Yes," Hermione answered. "Those three people we seem to see everywhere. Abigail, Donavan, and Ethan. They're part of the Order of the Phoenix."

   "An what is that exactly?" said Ron.

   Hermione sighed. She was use to this. "The Order of the Phoenix is a group devoted to destroying Dark Lords."

   "Like Voldemort." Said Harry, looking up at her as Ron shivered.

   Hermione nodded. "Exactly. Merlin had been the one to start it and only those with a pure and righteous heart can enter it. But from what I've gathered, the Order sort of disappeared about fourteen years ago. Right after You-Know-Who's downfall."

   Ron looked up curiously. "Why's that?"

   Hermione shrugged. "I'm not sure. There are only two explanations that I can think of. Either there was nothing left for them to fight until now or they were busy doing something very secret."

   Harry stared at the symbol in deep thought. He knew that there was more to the Order then it said in this book. But what was it? Voldemort's voice suddenly rang through his head._ 'Who's the one the Order protects?!'_

   Harry shot his head up. "Hermione, did you find anything else about the Order? Like are they guarding or protecting anything?"

   Hermione stared at him for a moment, and then shook her head. "No, I didn't find anything like that, but I'll go look again." She said, getting up and walking back into the aisles of books.

   She decided to start where she found the last book. Maybe she would find something near it. Her eyes scanned the rows of books, many of which looked very interesting to read, but now wasn't the time for that. 

   As her eyes wandered, she came across a book she hadn't noticed earlier. It was a beautiful golden book that had a tint of red in it when the light hit it. It looked very old and the title was worn off of it.

   Curious, she pulled the book off the shelf and opened it. He eyes went wide when she realized what this book contained. It was all about the Order of the Phoenix and looked like Merlin himself had written it.

She flipped through the book until her eyes landed on a certain page near the back. It was a prophecy and a very interesting one at that. She was just about to head back to Harry and Ron when her eyes glanced over a line in the prophecy: _The mark of thunder's light shall be upon him. 'Harry?'_ she thought. He was the only one with a lighten shaped scar. She started to read the whole Prophecy.

**_Prophecy of the Phoenix_**

_A Phoenix shall emerge in a time of great darkness and despair,_

_Sired by a stag from the lion's line_

_And born of a stainless bud._

_The mark of thunder's light shall be upon him,_

_Calling to the end the serpent's first reign of darkness._

_In the second reign of darkness,_

_Serpent and Phoenix will be joined by blood;_

_The crimson bridge of the bringer of death and salvation._

_The Phoenix will die by the hand of the Serpent,_

_Unless the Phoenix is helped…_

   Hermione stared at the book in frustration. Either someone had ripped the rest of the Prophecy out, or Merlin wasn't about to finish it._ 'Or, maybe, that's how the prophecy ends,'_ she thought. _'But, God, Harry?'_ she knew it had to be Harry that is prophecy was talking about. Who else defeated You-Know-Who and had the mark of thunder's light upon them?

   "Sired by a stag from the lion's line," said Hermione staring down at the book again. Harry once said that his father could turn into a stag, but form the lion's line? That would me that Harry was-

   "Hermione?" Hermione jumped and turned to see Harry standing at the end of the bookshelf, a puzzled expression on his face. "Are you okay? You look worried."

   Hermione nodded quickly. "I'm fine, I just… I need to speak to Professor Dumbledore." She said quickly. "I'll… I'll meet you back in the common room." And with that, she left.

   Harry watched her go with a frown. "What was all that about?" Ron asked, coming to stand next to Harry.

   Harry just shook his head. "I don't know."

"Albus, I just want to be sure. I don't want anything to happen to Harry," said Sirius, standing by Dumbledore's desk with his arms crossed.

   Dumbledore sighed from behind his desk. "Sirius, Harry will be fine. He's taken these extra lessons as a precaution just in case something may happen. He'll need them in the long run."

   "I'm still not sure how he'll reacted to all this when he finds out. The boy has a knack for discovering things that he's not suppose too," said Professor McGonagall. 

   Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, Harry does have a tendency to figure these things out, but we've taken extra measures to try and prevent him from finding out."

   There was a sudden knock at the door that startled everyone in the room but Dumbledore. "Come in," said Dumbledore and the door swung open to revel a very tired looked Lupin followed by a nervous looking Hermione.

   "Yes, Remus. What is it?" Dumbledore asked with a knowing glance.

   Lupin sighed. "Hermione has something she needs to tell you."

   Dumbledore merely nodded and gazed down at Hermione. "What is it, Ms. Granger?"

   Suddenly, Hermione didn't feel so nervous anymore. Dumbledore could have that affect on people. She took a deep breath before answering. "I know about the Order of the Phoenix and I know about Harry."

   McGonagall stared at her in surprise, while Sirius tried his beast not to laugh. Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling behind his half-moon glasses. "But you just finished saying that no one would find out, Albus?" said McGonagall in bewilderment.

   Dumbledore smiled. "Ah, I said 'Harry' wouldn't find out. And if I'm correct, Ms. Granger has not informed Harry of what she has discovered," Hermione nodded in response.

   "I brought the book I found the prophecy in," said Hermione, bringing the book up to Dumbledore and handed it to him. He took it and stared down at it's contains. 

   "Ah, Merlin's journal. I was beginning to wonder where this had gone off too," said Dumbledore, placing the book down on his desk and turned to face Hermione. "Did you tell Harry anything that concerns this?"

   "He knows about the Order of the Phoenix and that it's a group that fights Dark Lords, but besides that he doesn't know anything. He seems to have a hunch that the Order is protecting something, but he doesn't know what." Said Hermione, carefully watching how all the people in the room reacted.

   "Ah," said Dumbledore, scratching his bread in thought. "Very well. Now, Ms. Granger, I must ask you not to tell Harry, Mr. Weasley or anyone else off what you have discovered. It could place Harry in even more danger if anyone found out. The word my get to Voldemort and we can't let that happen. He'd be in even more danger then he already is in, Understand?"

   Hermione nodded. "Yes, sir. I promise I won't tell anyone."

   Dumbledore smiled. "Right then. Off you go." He watched Hermione leave before facing the other three people in the room. Some of the were looking shocked.

   "Albus, if Hermione can find out, so can Harry. A few months ago, this would be fine cause Harry isn't that good at research, but now, it's a totally different story," said Sirius.

   Dumbledore lend back in his chair. "Sirius, I assure you. Harry may find out little bits about this, but that can't be help. What he wouldn't find out is what that prophecy is really telling us. He will not find out that he is the 'Heir of the Phoenix'." He sighed. "Now, I believe that most of you have to get ready for classes?" They all nodded. "Good. We will meet again tonight about this matter. I'll see you all then."

   They all made their way out of his office, with Dumbledore behind them, but before he closed the door, he turned and gave Fawkes a knowing look. Fawkes understood and took flight out the window as the office door shut.

   Ron observed the chessboard. Harry had been getting him good. _'He's been practicing,' _Ron thought to himself as Harry made yet another move. Now he was only two moves away from checkmate.

   Ron shook his head when he noticed something about the board. The he laughed, earning himself a puzzled look from Harry. Harry was going to win and there was no way for him to stop it. He had seen this game being played before.

   Harry stared at him in puzzlement. "What's funny?" he asked.

   Ron tried to calm himself. "Harry, take a closer look at the board. Where have you seen this layout before?"

   Harry looked down at the board. He had Ron's king in check with one of his knights. Ron's Queen was right across the board from his knight. Ron would have to take his knight, leaving his bishop to put the king in checkmate.

   _'Don't you understand, Harry?' Ron said, sitting on top of one of their knights. 'Once I make my move, the Queen will take me,' he said starting over at the Queen. He turned back to Harry. 'Then you'll be free to check the King.'_

   Harry shook his head in amassment. This was the same layout as when they were trying to get to the stone in their first year. It felt like ages ago. "How do you suppose that happened?" Harry asked.

   Ron shrugged. "I don't know, but we might as well finish this. Queen to H3." Ron's Queen moved swiftly across the board, got her chair and smashed Harry's knight.

   Harry smiled. "Bishop to B6." Harry's command sent the bishop to B6 and the game ended.

   Ron sighed. "You're getting better at this, Harry. That's the second time you beat me out of three games."

    Harry just smiled. "Ron, what do you think Hermione needed to talk to Dumbledore for?"

   Ron shrugged. "I don't know. She had a golden book with her when she left. Maybe she found something that Dumbledore would want to know about."

   Harry nodded. "Maybe." He couldn't help wondering if it had something to do with the Order of the Phoenix. What if she found out what of whom the Order is protecting. But then why would she have gone to Dumbledore and not told them?"

   Another thing that he couldn't help wondering about was what the Order was doing here. Why weren't they off trying to find a way to destroy Voldemort and his Death Eater? It just didn't make sense.

   Just then the portrait opened and Professor McGonagall walked in. She looked as serious as ever with her hair pulled back in that tight bun of hers. Ron and Harry watched her in puzzlement. McGonagall very rarely came in here. Why was she in her now?

   "Hello, Professor," said Harry, trying to sound casual. It worked.

   "If you don't mind me asking, Professor, but why are you in here?" Asked Ron, not at all keeping the surprise out of his voice.

   McGonagall stood before both of them with two envelops in her hands. Harry could just see his and Ron's names printed neatly on the front of each.

   "I'm here to present these to both of you and to congratulate you," she said, handing them their letters. Harry quickly opened his and saw two badges fall out. One was sliver with a big letter P on it and the other was golden and red with a big letter C on it. They were Perfect and Quidditch Captain badges. Harry stared at both in shock.

   Ron looked over ate Harry and opened his mouth wide when he saw the Quidditch Captain badge. "Oh, wow, Harry! You made Captain!"

   Harry nodded in amassment. He couldn't be more then happy that he made Captain, but it was the Perfect badge that puzzled him the most. Ron had one as well.

   "Umm, Professor? Why did you pick us to be Perfects? Especially me. I've pretty much broken every rule that Hogwarts has and I'm always losing points." Harry said, looking up at her.

   McGonagall nodded. "Yes Potter, that is true, however you always broke the rules to help someone else and never to help yourself. As for the points, you always seem to earn back whatever you lose, so I don't see a problem."

   Ron smiled. "Wicked." Then he remembered his brothers. "Oh, Fred and George are going to kill me."

   Harry laughed. McGonagall just shook her head. "You two will also be pleased to know that Ms. Granger has also been made Perfect and before you ask Potter," she said, just as Harry was about to open his mouth, "In light of recent events, each house will now have three Perfects."

   Harry nodded his head in approval. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some work to get done before tomorrow. "And with that, McGonagall swiftly left the common room.

   Ron looked down at his badge and couldn't be happier. But there was one thing that he refused to do now that he had this badge. He refused to turn into another Percy. One of them is bad enough. 

   Then a thought occurred to him. "Awwwww, what if Hermione forces us to stay in line and follow the rules. Or even worst, make us read the Perfect handbook?"

   Harry laughed. "Don't worry about it. If there's trouble this year, like there is every year, she'll help. She always has, even if it was against her better judgment."

   Ron sighed in relief. "Yeah, you're right."

   Harry wandered the halls of Hogwarts with Flame perched on his shoulder. It was late in the night and he was supposed to be in bed, but he wasn't. He had another nightmare again. This one had a mixture of things in it. The Third task, his Uncle and his parents. They looked disappointed in him and it hurt. Right now the last thing he wanted to do was sleep.

   The last day of summer had been fun. Besides their discoveries in the library, they had played Quidditch and Harry and Ron had played chess and exploding snaps for hours. Harry had burnt his bangs and Ron had almost burnt off his eyebrows.

   Harry sighed as the thought about everything that had happened this summer before he came to Hogwarts and about the Third task. Why did everything happen to him? It always seemed like it did. Was it because he was Harry Potter, 'The Boy who Lived', or was it for another reason. He wasn't sure. Everything that happened to him almost always had a connection with Voldemort.

   Flame brushed her head against his in a comforting manner. She seemed to sense that something was troubling him. Harry smiled as he reached up to pet her. "Thanks," he whispered to her softly.

   Harry continued to walk down the corridor. Everything was dark as it should be. He looked out one of the windows into the night and stared at the moon. It's light made all the trees outside glow as it was approaching the full moon phase.

   A light flickered out of the corner of his eyes. Harry turned his head sharply, puzzled. There was a smidge of light streaming out of an almost closed classroom door. It was not opened by much, just enough to let the light out.

   Harry stared at it in puzzlement. Who could be up at this time of night? He thought everyone would be asleep. Harry cautiously crept closer to the door 'til he stood right outside of it. It was only then that he could hear the hushed voices that were speaking form within.

   "Albus, he'll be in danger no matter where he is. The Order can't protect him forever," Harry's eyes opened wide. The Order of the Phoenix. That's what they were talking about. But whom was McGonagall referring too?

   "I am well aware of that, Minerva. Which is why he will be doing all those extra courses. Voldemort will come after Harry whether he finds out who Harry is or not." Dumbledore stated quietly. 

   Harry stepped back in shock. They were referring to him? The Order of the Phoenix was protecting… him? But that can't be. There was nothing special about him. Okay, yeah sure he defeated Voldemort as a child, but that was all his parents doing. Why would the Order be protecting him?

   "Voldemort is getting closer to figuring out the truth, Albus. I'm not sure how much longer I can keep him from figuring it out," Snape said in that emotionless tone of his.

   Harry heard his Godfather sigh. "This year is going to be way too hard on him. Especially now that his powers are starting to show. You should have seen the amount of power he displayed in Diagon Alley, and he can't even control them properly yet. Malfoy would most likely be worst then dead if Harry had been able to control his powers," said Sirius.

   Harry could have sworn that he heard Dumbledore nod and stroke his beard thoughtfully. "Yes, Sirius you are right. Harry is starting to show the signs and they will become more apparent as the year progresses."

   "Exactly what are we going to teach him?" Lupin asked.

   Dumbledore sighed. "We will try to help him harness and control his powers. As we don't really have an idea what he is capable of, this will be difficult, but his powers can't go untrained. If they did, then who knows what could happen."

   Harry couldn't believe what he was hearing. None of this could be true, could it? And if it was true, why were they keeping it from him. He had a right to know about this. He couldn't believe that they were keeping it from him.

   Flame sat quietly on Harry's shoulder. She knew that he shouldn't be listening to this, knew that he wasn't ready to hear this, but what could she do? The only thing she could do was to try and comfort him the best she could.

   She rubbed her head against his and poured some of her magic into him, letting it calm him down. It seemed to work as she felt him relax. 

   Harry looked up and her and nodded his thanks. She merely watched him now, knowing that there wasn't much else that she could do.

   "Well, then what should we do?" Sirius asked.

   "For now, all we can do is be there for him and watch him. You're right Sirius, this year will be hard on him, but there isn't much else we can…" Dumbledore trailed off. He stared at the door thoughtfully._ 'Oh dear,'_ he thought to himself._ 'This is not good.'_

   Everyone stared at Dumbledore puzzled. Harry held his breath. Did Dumbledore know he was here? He wouldn't put it passed the old wizard. If he did know, Harry knew he was in for it.

   "Albus, is everything alright?" asked McGonagall.

   Dumbledore tore his eyes away from the door to look at her. He smiled. "Yes, Minerva. I just thought I heard something, that's all."_ 'No sense worrying them and scaring Harry, But I'll need to talk to Sirius about this.'_

   "Well, I think that's all for tonight. Sirius I'd like a word in my office please. Good-night everyone." He said and headed for the door.

   Harry quickly ran behind a pillar near the door and crouched down. It was a good thing he was small for his age and that the corridor was dark, otherwise they would see him. Not that that mattered. He knew Dumbledore knew and know he was going to tell Sirius.

   The door opened and Dumbledore emerged followed by Sirius. They walked towards Harry, but to his relief, passed right on by. The other teachers slowly exited until only Harry remained and the corridor was completely dark once more.

   Harry sunk to the floor and sighed. He was sure that he was going to be caught when Dumbledore passed. Dumbledore seemed to have away of knowing when people were around. Like in his second year when he and Ron had hid under the invisibility cloak in Hagrid's hut. He had seen them.

   Harry slowly stood and dusted himself off before headed back to Gryffindor Tower. Right now all he wanted was to be alone. He stooped, though, when he noticed that something was missing. Where did Flame go?

   Dumbledore entered his office with Sirius behind him. The Cloaked Figure whirled around when he heard them. He had waiting for Dumbledore to come back and tell him what meeting had been about, but he was a little surprised to see Sirius.

   "Is there something wrong?" he asked.

   Sirius shrugged. "That's what I'd like to know."

   Dumbledore walked behind his desk and sat down. He knew neither of them was going to like what he had to tell them. "I think it's best if you both sat down."

   Puzzled, they both took a seat. "Albus, what's all this about?" said Sirius, fully confused.

   "It's about Harry," said Dumbledore.

   Both men looked even more confused.

   "Nothing happened to him, right?" The cloaked figure asked.

   "Harry's fine, but… he overheard the meeting tonight." Dumbledore lend back in his chair, letting his words sink in.

   Sirius stared at Dumbledore in shock. "Is that why you were staring at the door?"

   Dumbledore nodded. "Yes. I didn't say anything there because this is strictly between the three of us. Harry no doubt feels betrayed and angry at all of us for not telling him."

   The Cloaked figure sighed. "Why tell me though. I can't help. No one's allowed to know I'm here, especially Harry."

   "I realize that, but you need to know. Right now, you affect things that go on with Harry, whether you realize that or not and It's important that you understand all that is going on. You'll be able to help him in your own way. I know you know what I'm talking about." The Cloaked figure nodded. "Good."

   The song of the Phoenix interrupted him. Flame flew in through the window and landed on the cloaked figure's shoulder. The man looked up at Flame in surprise. "Well, hello Flame. I haven't seen you in awhile," he said.

   Flame sang out in response. Then she turned to face Fawkes, who was also starting at her in surprise. She then sang out again, telling Fawkes something.

   "Albus, what exactly are they saying?" Sirius asked

   Dumbledore watched the two Phoenixes converse and sighed. "Harry's worst off then we thought. Sirius there's something that I need to explain to you. As the Heir of the Phoenix, Harry has many different powers. He is linked with Phoenixes, but that link can be broken when it's not very developed. Whether Harry realizes it or not, he's trying to break that link."

   The Cloaked figure snapped his head towards Dumbledore quickly. "What?!"

   Dumbledore sighed. "Harry's in great emotional distress right now. First the Tri-Wizard Tournament, then his deal with the Dursleys and now this, he just can't handle it all. Flame as done all she can, but she's only a phoenix and Harry's powers aren't devolved enough for her to do anything more by herself. Sirius, I'm asking you to try to help Harry as well as you can. It is your job anyways. Plus you know what it's like to have your whole life crashing down on you and I know that Harry needs you."

   Sirius nodded sadly. "I'll try my best." He said standing up. He then swiftly left the room. Flame and Fawkes also left through the open window.

   "What are we going to do about this, Albus?" the Cloaked figure asked.

   Dumbledore sighed, his age finally starting to show. "I'm not sure. All we can do for now is just be there for Harry."

   The Cloaked figure nodded sadly. "I just hope that will be enough."

   Harry sat alone in the dark common room, curled up on the sofa. Why didn't they tell him? He had a right to know. He was sick and tired a being treated like a child and being protected from everything.

   "Why?" Harry asked himself softly. He felt angry and betrayed. They should have told him. They should have. Voldemort was killing all those people to find out whom they were protecting. They were protecting him. They were dying at Voldemort's hand to protect him and he hated it.

   Harry heard the portrait open, but didn't look up. He was too angry and hurt. They kept it from him.

   "Harry?" said Sirius, as he sat down beside him. Harry kept his face turned away. Sirius sighed. He had been hoping Dumbledore had been wrong, but, as usual, he wasn't.

   "Harry?" Sirius tried again.

   "Why didn't you tell me?" Harry asked keeping his face turned away.

   Sirius was started by the anger he heard in Harry's voice. He'd only heard it when Harry was talking about Peter, Voldemort or the Dursleys. He sighed. "We were going to tell you at Halloween. We didn't tell you now because you weren't ready to hear it. We were afraid that you'd take it like this."

   "That doesn't change anything. All those Order members are dying because of me," said Harry, in a softer tone then before. He was finding it harder and harder to stay mad at Sirius.

   "No, Harry. Voldemort would go after them anyways. The Order of the Phoenix was created to defeat Dark Lords like Voldemort. It's not your fault," said Sirius.

   Harry shook his head. "Yes it is. Voldemort's back because of me. He killed Cedric and now more innocent people are going to die." Harry's voice shook with emotion. It was his fault. Everything was his fault.

   Sirius, not knowing what else to do, pulled Harry into his lap. Harry didn't struggle. He was grateful. Everything was just becoming too hard. He felt like he was suffocating in it.

   Sirius cradled Harry and sighed. The year hadn't even started yet and Harry was already struggling. "It's not your fault Harry. There's nothing that you could have done. You couldn't have known that the cup was a Portkey. Just like I couldn't have known that Wormtail was the traitor."

   Harry calmed down a bit. His Godfather was right and he knew it. But he couldn't help but feel guilty. If only he had done something different. "Do you miss them?"

   Sirius knew whom Harry was talking about. "Yes, Harry, I do. They were the best friends I ever could have had."

   Harry sighed. "I wish I could have known them."

   "They loved you very much, Harry, and they would have been very proud of you. Don't let anyone ever tell you different." Said Sirius, brushing Harry's bangs out of his eyes.

   Harry just simply nodded. They sat quietly and after awhile Harry fell asleep. Sirius gently stood up with Harry in his arms and went up into the boys' dormitory.

   He passed Ron's bed quietly and carefully laid Harry down on his bed noticing that Flame and Fawkes were there waiting. He quickly took Harry's glasses off and tucked him in.

   "Goodnight, Harry." He whispered quietly.

   "Goodnight, Sirius," came the sleepy reply.

   Sirius smiled and left. Flame and Fawkes watched him go, knowing that Harry would need all the comfort he could get.          

**AN: **Did you guys enjoy it! Review and tell me. I'm not posting anymore until something next week, hopefully, so I hope you guys will still want to read this even after the real Order of the Phoenix comes out tomorrow! Don't spoil it for me in reviews cause I might not get a chance to read the book until I go down East. My mom said that she'll buy it for me! Enjoy everyone and don't forget to review!


	10. New Teachers and Surprises

**AN:** Well, I guess the first then I'm going to do is kill JK for doing that to Sirius! He's my favorite character! I'm telling you all now that I will never ever do that to Sirius in my story! That goes for a lot of main character like Hermione, Ron, McGonagall, Remus, Dumbledore, and my poor cloaked figure who it seems can't seem to keep he's face hidden. If you think you know who he is email me privately and tell me so I can see weather or not any of you have guessed his true identity, Though I'm not sure if you have! Anyways, enjoy this chapter! So of the things in this chapter may appear as though I've gotten it from the fifth book, but I didn't! I have this chapter written back on… what was the date… let me check…. Hmmm….. Ahh, here it is… Sunday, March. 2nd, 2003! So there!

– Chapter Nine –

New Teachers and Surprises 

   September the 1st has arrived and so had all the students ranging from first year to seventh. From what Harry had heard, their trip was uneventful except that someone said Malfoy thought Harry was dead and had upset many people with this news. Harry could do nothing but laugh when he found out, though he felt sorry for all the first years that Malfoy scared.

   Harry, Ron, and Hermione had spent the day like they did all the other days. They played Quidditch, chess, exploding snaps, played pranks on Snape (courtesy of Sirius) and read out of the Perfects Handbook (It was Hermione's idea and she had Harry and Ron at wand point to make them read it).

   Harry was still struggling with what he had heard last night, but Sirius was helping him and made sure that Hermione and Ron kept him busy. They hadn't a clue why they had to keep him busy, but they did all they could and Harry was nothing less then grateful. 

   Now it was the time Harry had been waiting for since he walked off the Hogwarts Express in June and was forced to go back to the Dursleys. The thing that he would always count down too while he was stuck in the second bedroom. The Great Feast.

   Harry, Ron, and Hermione entered the Great Hall with everyone else. The house tables were now in their proper places as well as the teachers' table. Harry smiled to himself as he entered. This was what made his life worth living.

   As they walked towards the Gryffindor table, Harry notice that there were three new faces at the teachers' table and two of the seats up there were empty. He knew one must be for the new Defense teacher, but who was the other one for?

   "Do either of you know who the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher is?" asked Harry, as the three of them took their seats.

   "No," said Ron a little too quickly. Hermione just refused to meet his gaze and pretend to be very interested with her golden plate.

   Harry just started out them. They knew and they weren't going to tell him. What, was it some big surprise? "Fine," he answered, "don't tell me."

   Hermione quickly shot him a look. "Harry, it's a surprise, alright. That's all. We're not allowed to tell you. We're sworn to secrecy."

   Harry juts nodded. That was new. Why would knowing who the new Defense teacher is be a surprise? 

   The great hall doors opened and Professor McGonagall walked slowly in followed by a lot of frightened first years. They walked to the front of the Great Hall where McGonagall placed the sorting hat on the stool. The First years were all looking around in amazement and fear. Some of them even caught sight of Harry and gasp.

   The sorting hat sang it's little song about the founders and the qualities that each looked for in a house. Harry just tuned it out. He had heard it all before. Sure the song was different ever year, but it was starting to get boring. When the hat had finished, McGonagall unrolled the long scroll she was carrying and spoke.

   "When I cal your name, please come to the front. I will place the sorting hat on your head and you will be sorting into your houses." She glanced down at the list. "Sabrina Melville!"

   A young girl with long brown hair stepped forward. McGonagall place the big hat on her head and she almost seemed to disappear into it. After a few moments the hat called out, "Ravenclaw!"

   "I wonder what other teacher could be missing?" said Ron, as someone else was called up.

   Harry scanned the table to see who could be missing. "I don't see Hagrid or Professor Binnis."

   Ron smiled a little. "No Binnis. Yes, finally a new History of Magic teacher!"

   Hermione rolled her eyes. "Don't jump to conclusions, Ron." Their table suddenly roared with applause as someone was sorted into Gryffindor.

   Harry sighed in puzzlement. Where could Hagrid be? He wasn't fired, he knew that much. Maybe he wasn't finished with his mission yet. But why was it taking so long?

   Finally the sorting finished and Dumbledore stood to make his usual speech. "I'd like to say a few words before we begin the feast. As most of you have probably noticed, we have some new teachers this year. Fist I'd like to introduce Rebecca Holyoak as our new Care of the Magic Creatures Professor. Hagrid has been unfortunately detained and will be for the reminder of this year."

   There was some clapping for the new professor before Dumbledore continued. "I'd also like to introduce Atticus Toggart as our new Divinations Professor and Nora Falliver as our new Astronomy Professor."

   There was tons more clapping, and then Dumbledore continued, "Professor Binns, our History of Magic Professor unfortunately decided to step aside at the end of the last term. So I'd like to re-introduce Professor Remus Lupin, which some of you will remember as our old Defense Against the Darks Arks Professor, as our new History of Magic Professor."

   At that moment the Great Hall doors opened to revel Remus followed by Sirius. The whole hall started clapping very loudly for Remus as many people missed him. Harry, Ron, and Hermione clapped for him the most, but what Harry couldn't figure out was what the hell Sirius was doing in here. What if he was caught?

   "Sorry we're late. We got a bit tied up." Remus sat down in his seat, but Sirius remained standing.

   "Now some of you may have heard that Sirius Black has been freed of all charged made against him and is innocent." Said Dumbledore calmly. Many people started at Dumbledore in confusion while Harry just looked dumfounded.

   "Sirius was not responsible for the deaths of those thirteen people and he was not the Secret Keeper for the Potters. He never betrayed his friends to Voldemort." Many people shuttered upon hearing the dark Lord's name. "So, I'd like to introduce Sirius Black as our new Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor." 

   Not many people clapped. Only a few from the Gryffindor table did, others just started at Sirius in shock and fear. Sirius didn't seem the least bit surprised at this as he scanned the Great Hall. Then one shy little Ravenclaw first year stuck up her hand.

   Dumbledore smiled down at her. "Yes Mal?"

   The girl looked around shyly then rested her gaze on Sirius. "My mom said that Sirius Black was out to kill Harry Potter." Many people stared at Harry then at Dumbledore, waiting for an answer. 

  Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "Yes, many people believe that Sirius is indeed after Harry, but he's not. Sirius is Harry's Godfather and would not harm a hair on him."

   The hall went into a studded silence, which was only broken by the laughter of Sirius Black. Many people looked at him as if he was mad, but then they followed his gaze. Harry was still perfectly still, gaping at Sirius like a huge fish.

   "That look suits you Harry, but you better watch it or your face will stay that way!" Sirius called out over the silent hall.

   Harry couldn't help but laugh at this and soon, the whole hall was laughing, except, of course, the Slytherin table. They all worn the same scowl they always did when something good happened to Harry Potter.

   Dumbledore smiled. "Well, not that that's taken care of, Let the feast begin." The tables magically filled with food and everyone stared digging in.

   "I knew you would like it," said Hermione, smiling.

   Ron laughed. "You should have seen the look on your face. It was classic."

   Harry rolled his eyes. "Sirius almost gave me a heart-attack. I didn't know he was free. I thought that someone was going to call the Ministry and have him arrested."

   Hermione gave him a pointed look. "You really think Dumbledore would have let them take Sirius away even if they had come. And besides, I think it's great that he and Professor Lupin are working here. You know how hard it is for Lupin to find work because of what he is and Sirius would have a pretty hard time right about now as well. I mean, seriously, who would want to higher someone who was sent to Azkaban for twelve years?"

   Harry nodded. "You're right. But you do realize what's going to happen. Two Marauders as professors isn't the greatest thing in the world."

   Ron snorted. "Can't wait to see what they plan to do to the Slytherins and Snape." 

  "I wonder what History of Magic will be like now that Lupin is teaching it?" said Hermione.

   "Well, one things for sure," said Harry. "We won't be falling asleep in that class anymore. Remus will see to that. He's never boring."

   They talked quietly about different topics over the course of the meal, going on about Quidditch and the new course Harry would have to take. Hermione had millions of questions to ask Harry about that and was only stopped because the feast ended. The students slowly started to filter out of the Great Hall up to their own dormitories. The first years waited impatiently by the doors for Harry, Ron, and Hermione to show them the way to Gryffindor Tower.

   "Hermione, Ron, start taking the first years up. I'll just be a moment."

   Hermione and Ron both knew that Harry need to talk with Sirius so they nodded and ran off towards the first years.

   Harry then made his way through the crowds to the front table where Sirius was waiting expectantly. 

   Sirius smiled as Harry reached him. " This whole surprise was worth it just to see that look on your face Harry. It was priceless."

   "Why didn't you tell me instead of trying to give me a heart-attack. I've got enough things to worry about. I don't need you trying to end my life any earlier, thank-you." Said Harry, though he was smiling like a madman.

   Sirius shrugged. "I wanted it to be a surprise. You haven't had a break since your birthday and I wanted to lighten the mood for you. But, of course, I had no clue that you would take it like _that._"

   Harry playfully punched his Godfather. Then an awful though occurred to him. "Does this mean that I have to call you Professor Black?"

   Sirius couldn't help but laugh. "I'd shot you if you did. For you, I'll make an exception. Ron and Hermione only have to call me_ Professor Black_ in class, so that shouldn't be too hard for them."

   Harry smiled. "So, how did you get free?"

   Sirius did that face he did when he was hiding something. "Well, let's just say that someone showed up with proof that I'm innocent."

   Harry frowned. "So they haven't caught Wormtail yet?"

   Sirius sighed. "Unfortunately, no. They still don't believe he's alive though they now have enough proof of it. Fudge just doesn't want to admit to it cause that would mean admitting to the fact that Voldemort's back and Fudge still doesn't want to believe you."

   Harry nodded sadly. Fudge was an idiot, he knew, but he didn't think that the man would risk innocent lives just to prove a point. And what point did he have to prove. The man would be much better off if he had just said the truth from the start instead of denying the evidence that has been shown to him.

   Sirius ran a hand through his hair. "Anyways, I think you better go help Ron and Hermione with the first years oh great _Prefect._ I'll talk to you later."

   Harry rolled his eyes as Sirius antics and ran off to catch up with Ron and Hermione. Sometimes Sirius could be a real pain, but then he wouldn't be Sirius if he didn't act that way from time to time. That's what made Sirius such a great person as well as a Godfather and, of course, a Marauder. 

   Remus came up behind Sirius and placed a hand on his friends shoulder as they watched Harry leave the Great Hall. "Harry just keeps getting more and more like James everyday, doesn't he?" said Remus.

   Sirius sighed and nodded. It was true. Harry was getting more and more like James weather he realized it or not. "Even with everything he's got to face and has already faced."

   Remus sighed as the hidden meaning of Sirius' words sunk in. "He's not getting any better is he?" Remus knew that Harry had overheard the conversation last night. Sirius and Dumbledore thought that he should be include. 

   Sirius shook his head sadly. "I don't think he blames himself anymore for what happened to that Diggory kid, but the guilt is still there. But he's still not getting any better. I think he's only getting worst. He's had too many blows delivered in a short period of time. You can't tell just by looking at him unless you look closely at his eyes. He's gotten too good at hiding things."

   "That's probably the Dursleys doing," said Remus.

   Sirius' fist bawled in anger. "I'd like to have a piece out of those filthy bastereds. They had no right to treat him like they did. You should have seen him Moony. He was a bloody mess when I found him."

   Remus tightened his grip on Sirius' shoulder reassuringly. "I know, Sirius. But we'll help him. He'll get through this. If anyone can get past all of this, then it's Harry."

   Sirius nodded. "I hope you're right."

   Harry caught up to Ron, Hermione and the first years just a little ways out from the Great Hall. The first years were looking at absolutely everything their eyes could take in. Harry watched them with a smiled. He could remember a time when the castle had been new and exciting and the prospect of being a wizard still felt like a dream come true. But so much had changed since then. They used to be carefree and innocent, but now, things were much different.

   "Well, if it isn't Weasel, Mudblood and Scarhead. Trying to show these poor, little first years the way to Gryffindor Tower. I wouldn't be surprised if you lost your way." Came the drawling voice.

   Harry, Ron, Hermione and the first years looked up to see Draco Malfoy, along with a bunch of Slytherin first years, standing near the top of the stairwell. He had that sly look that always made Harry cringe instead and let him know that Malfoy was up to something. 

   "What do you want, Malfoy?" said Harry bluntly. He wasn't in the mood for Malfoy's tardiness tonight.

   Malfoy smirked. "I was just telling the first years here how you killed Cedric Diggory last year, Potter."

   That struck a nerve and Malfoy knew it. Harry felt like his heart had stopped beating in his chest. He could feel the guilt wash over him like a huge tidal wave. The horrifying images flashed before his eyes.

_   "Wands out, d'you reckon?"_

_   "Yeah,"_

_   "Someone's coming,"_

_   "Kill the Spare."_

_   "Avada Kedavra!"_

_   'Cedric was lying spread-eagled on the ground beside him. He was dead.'_

Hermione's temper got the better of her. "Harry didn't kill anyone, Malfoy!" she spat. All the first year Gryffindors and Slytherins were watching the confrontation with interest and now more people were starting to show.

   "Is that so. Who did then?" Malfoy drawled.

   Harry stared at Malfoy in anger and disgust. "Voldemort." Everyone in the hall gasped at the mention of the Dark Lord's name. 

   Malfoy smiled. "Yes I heard that you_ believe_ that he's come back. I heard that you supposedly dueled with him also. Screamed like a little baby I heard." Malfoy laughed. "It probably didn't even hurt very much, Potter. You were just too much of a baby to take it."

   "You know nothing, Malfoy," said Harry, his anger rising. " You weren't there. You have no idea what really happened!"

   "Really. Well then, why don't you enlighten us, Potter. Tell us what really happened. Or are you to scared to admit that you killed Cedric just so that you could win the cup and become champion."

   Harry made a step towards Malfoy, but Hermione held him back. "You don't have to tell him anything Harry."

   "Malfoy's just trying to push your buttons," said Ron.

   "And it's working," stated Hermione, trying to make Harry see reason.

   "I didn't kill anyone, Malfoy!" stated Harry, but he couldn't figure out if he had said that because it was true, or if he was trying to convince himself that it was true.

   "Really. I've heard no proof that would convince me otherwise." Said Malfoy, crossing his arms.

   "You want to know, Malfoy. You want to know what really happened after that stupid cup pulled Cedric and myself away from the safely of Hogwarts and into a deserted graveyard?" said Harry, eyes burning. To some it almost seemed like they were glowing a bright emerald green.

   Many people quieted down upon hearing this from Harry. Malfoy seemed surprised, but couldn't very well decline. "Yes, Potter. Why don't you tell us?"

   The hall was dead silent now. Harry's mind was swarming with memories of the Third Task that would normally overwhelm him but right now he was too anger and upset to care. Malfoy wanted to know, and then Harry was going to tell him.

   "Fine. We landed in, what looked like, a dark, overgrown graveyard. There was nothing around us that look remotely familiar. Even the mountains that surround the school were gone. It was then that we realized that the cup must have been a Portkey."

   "It didn't take long for us to notice that there was a shadowed figure moving slowly towards us. Then the figure began to talk. _'Kill the spare,'_ it had said and the next thing we knew someone had uttered the killing cures."

   "Cedric was dead right then and there. There was nothing I could have done to stop it from happening. There is no curse that can block the killing curse. Before long, I was tied up against one of the headstones there and forced to watch as a servant of Voldemort, by the name of Wormtail, performed a ritual which consisted off, bone from the father, flesh from a servant, and blood from an enemy, me!"

   People were now dead silent at Harry's words, all with a look of pure fear on their faces. Even Ron and Hermione looked afraid. Malfoy was starting to shake under Harry's piercing gaze.

   "I watch as Voldemort rose out of the caldron and called his Death Eaters. Watch as he talked to them about rebirth and all that had happened to him in the past Fourteen years since his downfall. Watched as he scolded them for not coming to find him when he needed them. Do you know what happens to a Death Eater who angers Voldemort, Malfoy?"

   Malfoy slowly shook his head.

   "He tortures them. Just for fun and pleasure. He gets a real kick out of hurting people weather their on his side or not. And if you really piss him off, he'll kill you, without a second thought."

   "After his little rant, he then turned to me and told his Death Eater how people thought I had been his downfall. How I had escaped him so many times and he still hadn't managed to kill me. Then, just for fun, he put me under the Cruciatus Cruse."

   People gasped and started to whisper.  Malfoy looked absolutely terrified.

   "He then had Wormtail untie me and gave me back my wand. He forced me to fight him. Force me to have a proper wizard duel with him, to the death. He was just messing with me. And then he put me under the Cruciatus Curse for then second time, only this time, it hurt much worst then before."

   Harry's eyes narrowed. "Do you know what it feel like to be under the Cruciatus Curse, Malfoy?"

   Malfoy shook his head.

   "It's like pain beyond anything you can imagine. Your every bone feels like they're on fire. White-hot knives pierce every inch of your skin and your head feels like it will surely explode with the pain. And after awhile, you can't even hear yourself scream anymore. All you want is for it to end… to blank out… to die…"

   The hall was silent. No one uttered a single word. Malfoy hadn't a clue what to say to this and all Ron and Hermione could do was stare at Harry in shock. They had had no idea.

   Harry stared at Malfoy; anger clearly shown on his face and his eyes were glowing bright green. "I went through that twice, Malfoy. The second time, Voldemort held it on longer. I wanted nothing more then just to die to stop the agonizing pain."

   The hall remained silent. Every student stared at Harry with a mixture of fear and respect. Everyone besides Malfoy and his small group of Slytherins, that is.

   "Mr. Malfoy?" Everyone turned to see a very angry Professor Dumbledore along with most of the other teachers, all of which were just as shocked as everyone else at what they had heard.

   Dumbledore walked swiftly up to Malfoy and Harry. The last time Harry had seen Dumbledore this anger had been last year when Moody, or rather Couch, had taken him out of his sight.

   "You will follow me to my office," Then he turned to the rest of the students. "If I hear that anyone has questioned Harry about what happened at the Third Task again, they will be expelled." He gave Harry a concerned glance before he led Malfoy away to his office. 

   Everyone was still to shock to move or do anything for that matter, except stare at Harry. Finally McGonagall sprang to action. "Well, don't just stand there. Everyone go to your dormitories, immediately." No one needed to be told twice.

   Hermione and Ron starting leading the First years towards Gryffindor Tower again and Harry followed closely behind them. Everyone was still staring at him, though he didn't seem to notice. He was still angry and hurt.

   Sirius and Remus watched him follow the first years with some concern. Sirius had known what Harry had gone through during the Third Task. He had told him. But he didn't think Harry would ever actually get angry enough to yell it into someone's face, especially Malfoy's.

   "Think we should go talk to him?" Remus asked, not quite knowing what to do in a situation like this.

   Sirius shook his head. "No. I think it's best if we just let him be for now. I'll talk to him about it later."

   Harry slowly walked behind the group, just making sure no one fell behind. He really didn't want to think about what had just happened with Malfoy. He knew he shouldn't have lashed out like that, but he just couldn't stop himself. Malfoy had gone too far. He had just been starting to believe that maybe Cedric's death hadn't been his fault, but now he was starting to have doubts again.

   He was brought back to reality when the staircase started to move. Harry quickly jumped off of it without even thinking much of it, but then quickly turned back to make sure everyone had gotten off of it.  A little Gryffindor girl stood at the very top of the staircase as it began to pull away. Harry held out his hand. "Grab on." The girl quickly took hold of Harry's hand and tried to jump, but she was just too small for the gap. 

   She started to fall and began to scream, but Harry was able to keep his grip on her. "Don't let go! Please!" She screamed, tears streaming down her face. Harry strained to hold on.

   "I won't, okay!" He reassured her. "Ron! Hermione! Quick!"

   Ron and Hermione had been leading the other Gryffindors away until they had heard the scream and then Harry's call for them. "Oh, God." Hermione gasped as she and Ron reached Harry. Ron quickly bent down beside Harry and tried desperately to reach the girl's other hand. 

   "Hermione, get help!" said Harry, still panting with the effort of holding the little girl up. _'Oh God, she's slipping,'_ Harry thought to himself in panic. But he wasn't going to let her fall. He wasn't going to let her die.

   "Harry, I can't get a hold of her!" Ron yelled, trying frantically to reach her, but he couldn't.

   The girl was crying harder now. Harry didn't know how long he could hold onto her. Ron still wasn't having any luck._ 'God, no, please don't let her die!'_ Harry pleaded. 

   "Ron, hurry! She's slipping!" Harry's hand was all sweaty now and the girl was slowing sliding further away.

   "I can't reach!" yelled Ron, lying on his stomach, trying to grab a hold of her.

   Harry tried to think of something else he could do, but his mind was blank. He couldn't think of anything. That was when he heard it. Suddenly his mind just seemed to clear. There was only one thing he could do.

   Before Ron could stop him, Harry had jumped off the landing. The girl screamed as they fell. Harry pulled her closer and wrapped his arms around her protectively, hoping to shield her from the impact.

   The sound he had heard began to fill his being, and without realizing what he was doing, yelled, _"Ardeola Rellavda!"_ A golden sphere appeared around Harry and the girl, just as Dumbledore came around the corner. They slowed and the dome softly touched one of the Staircase and Harry and the girl landed safely on the ground. The golden sphere melted away as well as the sound Harry had heard.

   Harry collapsed on the staircase with the girl still in his arms. He was exhausted and now all he wanted to do was head up to the boys' dormitories and sleep. He raised his head to take a look at the girl who was still shaking in his arms. "You okay?" he asked.

   She raised her face from his robes to look up at him. Her blue eyes were wet and bloodshot from crying, her face ret and sticky. "Are we safe now?" she asked timidly, fear still shining in her eyes.

   Harry nodded and smiled to reassure her. He was far too tired to manage anything else what had him puzzled was what just happened? He wasn't quite sure what he had done. It was all kind of blurry now.

  "Harry?!" Harry sat up and looked up to see Hermione running down the staircases followed by Ron, Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Sirius. Remus was up with the other first years trying to keep them calm.

   Hermione ran up to him with Ron at her side. "Harry," she managed to say, but Harry could tell that she was extremely relieved. 

   "You alright Harry?" Ron asked, panting just as much as Hermione.

   "Harry nodded. "Just tired."

    Both Ron and Hermione didn't need to be told to know that. Harry looked nothing more then exhausted. Hermione bent down in front of them and started looking over the poor girl still trembling in Harry's arms. "Is she okay?"

   Harry nodded again. " I think she just a little shaken."

   Hermione held out her hand to the girl. The girl looked at Hermione a little hesitant. "Hi," said Hermione, trying to lighten the mood. "I'm Hermione. What' your name?"

   The girl used her sleeve to whip some of the tears still staining her face. "Zoe." She said simply

   "Zoe. That's a pretty name. Do you want to come with me to the hospital wing and we can have Madam Pomfrey check you over to make sure you're alright?" said Hermione carefully, not quite sure how Zoe would reacted.

   Zoe tightened her grip on Harry's robes. It was obvious that she was still frightened. She looked up at Harry questionably. Harry just smiled at her. "It's okay. Zoe. Hermione's a good friend of mine. She'll take care of you." 

   With that said. Zoe reached out for Hermione's hand and followed her towards the hospital wing.

   "Harry?" Harry looked up to see Professor Dumbledore and Sirius standing over him. "Are you alright?" said Dumbledore.

   "Yes sir. Just tried." Said Harry.

   Dumbledore smiled down at him, his eyes twinkling behind his half-moon glasses. "Understandable. You've been trough an awful lot tonight. But before you go up to bed, may I ask that you accompany Sirius and myself to my office. There is something that we need to discuss."

   Harry simply nodded his head. He wondered if this had anything to do with the Order of the Phoenix.

  Dumbledore turned to Ron as Sirius help Harry to his feet. "Mr.Weasley, would you please led the rest of the first years up to Gryffindor Tower. Harry will be up there shortly."

   Ron nodded. "Yes sir. See ya later, Harry." He said before running off to the rest of the first years. 

   Dumbledore then turned to McGonagall. "Minerva, would you please inform our 'guest' of what has happened here. I'm sure that he will want to know."

   "Yes, of course Albus," she said, and then she too left.

   Harry swayed a little as he tried to regain his balance. Sirius helped to stabilize him. "You alright, kiddo?" 

   Harry nodded. He then looked up at Dumbledore. "Professor, what exactly happened? It's all just a big blur to me."

   Dumbledore just continued to smile in an all-knowing sort of way. "We'll discuss all of that in my office, Harry."

   Harry nodded and followed Dumbledore to his office, Sirius standing close to him to make sure that he didn't fall. What Sirius didn't realize was that Harry was more grateful that Sirius was giving him the support he need rather then just helping him stand up straight.

   A million different things were swarming through Harry's head at that moment. He remembered that Zoe had been slipping; he had known that he wouldn't be able to hold on to her. Then what? He had heard something, but what was it. It almost sounded like… a Phoenix. 

   But that wasn't the only thing he was thinking about. Why the hell was the Order of the Phoenix guarding him? That was another question that he desperately wanted answered. And why was everyone so concerned about his powers. Sure he had been doing some pretty nifty stuff lately, but that was normal in extreme situations. Wasn't it?

   All too soon, Harry was brought out of his thoughts when they reached the stone gargoyle that guarded Dumbledore's office. Harry vaguely heard Dumbledore give the password (Fire blasters) and the goyle sprang to life. Harry suddenly felt like he was going to fall asleep where he stood. Why was he feeling so tired?

   They all slowly made their way up the revolving staircase and through the big oak door to Dumbledore's office. Sirius quickly lead Harry to a chair sensing that his Godson wouldn't be able to stand on his feet much longer. Harry smiled up at him gratefully.

   Fawkes fluttered off his perch and came to rest in Harry's lap. Harry looked down at the magnificent scarlet creature and smiled. " 'Lo Fawkes."

   Fawkes sand out a note in response and Harry felt something strangle ripple through him in response to the Phoenix's song. He wasn't quite sure what it was, but he did remember that he had felt it once before. It had happened at Privet Drive when Fawkes had delivered Dumbledore's letter. But what could it mean?

   Dumbledore took a seat behind his desk while Sirius remained standing beside Harry's chair. "So, Harry," Dumbledore began. "What do you remember about what just happened? Try not to leave anything out."

   Harry took a moment to think about it before answering. "I remember that she fell and I tried to pull her up, but I couldn't. Ron tried to reach her but he couldn't reach and Hermione had left to get help. Zoe started to slip and I knew that she was going to fall and there was nothing I could do to stop it. Then…" Harry trailed off. He still wasn't quite sure what had happened.

   Dumbledore saw his confusion and said, "Just tell us what you think happened, Harry."

   Harry looked up at him and nodded. "I guess my mind just sort of… cleared and all I could hear was what sounded like a Phoenix. Everything after that's just a blur."

   Dumbledore nodded, his eyes twinkling again as he exchanged looks with Sirius. "Harry," he started to say. " What happened has a lot to do with why the Order is protecting you. Your powers are getting stronger and because of that, you were able to save Zoe's life."

   Harry just merely nodded. _'Tell me something I don't know,'_ he thought to himself angrily. He was sick and tired of people hiding things from him and not telling him things because they think that he can't handle it. What was worst was he wasn't even sure why the order was protecting him and he wanted to know why these innocent people were dying for him. 

   Then Harry asked the question he had been dying to ask. "Why is the Order protecting me, sir?" he said, looking up at Dumbledore with what looked like pleading eyes. He didn't want to be kept in the dark anymore.

   Dumbledore sighed. "I can not tell you the main reason yet, Harry, and that is mainly because of your link with Voldemort. Since Voldemort has found away to reach you through your dreams, we can't risk him finding this out through you. Understand?"

   Harry nodded though he wished he could be told. But he also had a funny feeling that there was more too it then that. What was Dumbledore hiding from him?

 "So, what exactly did I do tonight?" said Harry, not quite sure if he wanted to know the answer.

   Dumbledore exchanged a look with Sirius. "You'll have to let Sirius explain, for all I saw was the end result."

   Harry looked up at his Godfather, waiting for an answer. Sirius looked at Dumbledore once more before explaining. "Harry, when I got there, you had just thrown yourself over the edge. Ron tried to stop you, but it was too late. You brought Zoe into your arms and shouted, I think, _'Ardeola Rellavda'_." 

   Then Dumbledore took over. "A golden sphere formed itself around you and Ms. Davis. It slowed you down and disappeared once you had safely reached the staircase below."

   Harry looked from Sirius to Dumbledore in Puzzlement. "But, I don't remember that. I've never even heard that spell before. How could I cast a spell that I've never even heard off?"

   Fawkes sang out again and Harry looked down, puzzled. Fawkes was staring at him intensively.  _'Okay,'_ Harry thought. _'Now I'm really confused.'_

   Dumbledore knew what Fawkes was trying to do and sighed. "Harry, that's something I can't answer. You'll have to find that out on your own, and I'm sure that you will."

   Harry nodded, feeling content to just sit where he was 'til he fell asleep, but knew that he couldn't do that. He stuffed a yawn, but Sirius caught sight of it.

   "Maybe we should get you to bed, Harry. You look exhausted."

   Harry yawned again and proved Sirius's statement true. Sirius then helped Harry up as Fawkes returned to his perch. Dumbledore watched as Sirius help Harry to the door. "Sirius," Sirius turned back. "Once you get Harry to bed, come straight back here. There are things that we need to discuss."

   Sirius nodded in understanding and lead Harry out of the office and down the revolving staircase into the hall. They walked slowly in silence, both wrapped up in their own thoughts.

   Harry's mind was still whirling with the events that had just taken place and of what he had heard last night. It was all starting to get to be way too much for him. Why couldn't Malfoy have just kept his mouth shut?

   They reached the portrait sooner then Harry would have thought, said the password, and head through the hole. The entered to find that the Common Room was jammed packed with the Gryffindors.

   As soon as everyone saw Harry, they all rushed towards him, bombarding him with questions 'til Sirius silenced them. "No one is to question Harry about _anything_ that has happened tonight! He needs rest and you all," he eyed Ron and Hermione, "better let him get it!"

   Harry looked up at Sirius gratefully as he was led up the Boys' staircase and into his dormitory. "Thanks," he said as they entered the room.

   "You're welcome," Sirius answered, helping Harry get into bed. Flame was perched beside his bed and watched his every move. She knew what had happened tonight and knew that what Harry need most of al right now was comfort and rest.

   Sirius tucked Harry in. "Good-night Harry."

   Harry smiled sleepy. "Good-night, Sirius."

   Sirius smiled and started to leave when he noticed that Harry had already fallen asleep. He chuckled to himself as he left the room, noticing that Flame wasn't the only Phoenix that was watching over Harry tonight.

_   Harry hit the ground hard. He didn't need to look up to know where he was. He had relived this part of his life so many times in his dreams that he almost had every detail of the place imprinted in his mind. He was in the graveyard._

_   He stood to find that Cedric was beside him, but he was different then before. His eyes were white and his body was mostly decayed. The sight of it made Harry want to throw up._

   Cedric turned to Harry. His white eyes locked on him. "Someone's coming, Harry, and you know who it is, don't you? You left me here to die! It's your entire fault that I died! You nothing more then a murder!" he yelled.

_   Harry shook his head frantically. "No Cedric, I didn't mean for any of this to happen! I didn't want you to die!"_

_   "Liar! You left me to die! And because of you more people are going to die! It's all your fault" Cedric bellowed._

_   It was then that Harry noticed Wormtail with the little bundle in his arms. "Kill the spare."_

_   Harry watched him horror, unable to do anything to stop it. "No!" But he couldn't move. He couldn't do anything but watch._

_   "Avada Kedavra!!!"_

_   The flash of green light was all that Harry saw. He then saw Cedric. He was lying on the ground spread-eagled on the ground beside him. He was dead._

Harry shot up right in his bed drenched in sweat. His scar was burning dully and his breathing was hard. He tried to calm himself down but the images kept flashing before his eyes.

   This happened every night and Harry was getting sick of it. He wanted to sleep, but the nightmares wouldn't let him get any rest. He couldn't remember the last time he had gotten a good nights rest.

   Harry knew he wasn't going to be able to get back to sleep, so he quietly pulled back the curtains and got out of bed. Flame watched him curiously. Harry sighed. "Come on then," Flame took the invitation and hoped onto his shoulder.

   Harry quietly made his way down the steps to find, for once, that the Common Room was deserted. Sirius was nowhere to be seen. He was a little disappointed at this. Sirius knew that Harry had nightmares every night and when he couldn't sleep, he come down here and just talk with Sirius. But he wasn't here.

   Harry sighed and slowly made his way to one of the windows that over looked the lake. He just sat there quietly, stroking Flame absent-minded and just thought about everything that had been happening.

   He felt like he was suffocating with everything that had happened. The Third Task, the attack at the Dursleys, Uncle Vernon, the Order of the Phoenix, and the events of tonight but to name a few.

   Harry closed his eyes and tried with all his might to just escape it all. But unfortunately, he found that he couldn't. Old feelings began to swell up inside of him. The fells of helplessness, fear, and anger were only a few. They were trying to drown him in a sea of emotions. He didn't think he could fight the pull of it anymore.

   It was then that Harry felt something that he hadn't felt since he had been at Privet Drive. It was this feeling that had saved him so many times when he had been so close to ending his own life. The feeling of someone's love for him.

   "Penny for your thoughts." Harry jumped up in fright and snapped his eyes opened. He looked up to see a very amused Sirius standing by the doorway to the portrait hole.

   Harry breathed a sigh of relief and stared up at Sirius. "That's the second I almost had a heart attack this evening because of you." Said Harry, trying to caught his breath.

   Sirius chuckled slightly. "I didn't mean to scare you." He said, pulling up a chair and sitting down beside Harry.

   "So," Sirius began, "What were you thinking so intensively that you didn't hear me come in?"

   Harry sighed and stared out the window. "Just, what I normally think about when I can't sleep."

   Sirius nodded. He knew Harry would probably wake-up from another nightmare, which was why he had come up here. He had been hoping he had been wrong, though, and that Harry was snuggled nicely in his bed sleeping peacefully. But he was wrong. He wished he could let Harry get his sleep. God only knew how much he really needed it. It also didn't help that tomorrow would be the first day of classes and Harry need his sleep if he wanted to stay awake in them.

   "Sirius?" said Harry, turning back to face him. "When Dumbledore said… that my powers were getting stronger… what exactly did he mean?"

   Sirius sat there in deep thought for a moment, wondering how he should answer that question. Then, finally, he spoke, "Harry," he began, " when wizards and witches get older, around puberty, their powers get stronger and start to reach their full potential. When people are young, it's hard to tell weather on not you are going to very powerful or not. Only the really powerful wizards and witches show any strong powers at a young age. What Dumbledore meant, Harry, was that your powers are getting to the point where they'll start to show their true colours. James was the same way, actually." 

   Harry frowned. "What do you mean?" he asked.

   "What, James?" said Sirius.

   Harry nodded.

   "Oh," said Sirius. "Well, when James was your age, the same sort of things started to happen. He'd just all of a sudden disappear out of thin air and end up only God knows where. Or he'd save someone when he didn't even know they were in trouble. Weird little things like that. But the worst was when someone made James angry." Sirius shook his head, remembering. "Some times you couldn't even recognize the room he had been in."

   Harry thought about it and laughed. He could imagine a very big mess of ruble and papers where the common room used to be and his father, still fuming with anger, in the middle of it all.

   Sirius scowled Harry playfully. "Laugh all you want. It's not funny being on the receiving end of his anger, I can tell you. I still have the scars."

   This only caused Harry to laugh harder. Sirius smiled. It was good to see Harry laughing again. He really needed to do it more often. Harry tried to calm himself unsuccessfully. "Knowing you, you probably deserved it."

   Sirius smiled. "I did not! Okay, maybe a turned all the clothes he had bright pink, but I had to make sure the spell worked somehow."

   Sirius got even more laughter out of this._ 'Good thing I put a silencing charm on the common room before coming in,'_ Sirius thought.

   Sirius then proceeded to tell Harry about tons of pranks and stuff that the Marauders had done and each and every one would make Harry laugh harder then the last. Harry was laughing so hard that he thought he was going to explode. Sirius couldn't help laughing along with him.

   "There was this one time," Sirius continued, "when James and I really wanted to embarrass the Slytherins because they had been making fun of Remus. What about, I'm not allowed to say. Moony would have my head. Anyways, James came up with this idea. We stole a pair of boxers from each of them, and then made them float in mid-air in the Great Hall. So when everyone came down for breakfast the next morning, there were boxers flying around the room." Harry was laughing so hard at this that his face was turning blue.

   Sirius smiled. "You think that's funny. I haven't even told you the best part. When the Slytherins came down for breakfast, not only were they surprised to see their boxers flying around the place, but also the boxers then went and hovered over their owner's head just out of reach. You should have seen the looks on their faces. It was classic. Especially Snape's. It was beautiful to see his green boxers with silver snakes flying over his head."

   Harry was laughing so hard he almost fell off the windowsill. Flame, who had long ago abandoned her position on Harry's shoulder, watched the exchanged curiously.

   Harry was finally able to calm himself, somewhat. "Oh Sirius… you guys must have had so much fun."

   Sirius grinned. "We sure did."

   Harry sighed. "Do you sometimes wish you could just go back in time and do it all over again?"

   Sirius sighed. "Yes and no. Yes because it was the best time of my life. No because it be too hard seeing James again, knowing what his fate is going to be." Harry could tell that it was hard for him to say that.

   "It must have been tough on you and Remus. I don't think I could imagine what it must have been like." Said Harry.

   Sirius nodded. "It was hard, but it must have been so much harder on you and Remus."

   Harry frowned. "What do you mean?"

   Sirius looked up at Harry. "You were a very smart kid, Harry, still are. You knew that your parents were gone and never coming back. I remember the look you had on you face and what your reaction to everything was. Hagrid said that it had taken a lot of effort to get you out of the nursery and when you saw me you did all you could to try and get to me and you kept calling for your father, hoping that he'd come but knowing that he wouldn't."

   Harry stared dumbfounded at Sirius. "I did?"

   Sirius just nodded. "You knew too many things Harry. You never did like to go near Peter and you would always be quite and clutch whom every was with you as though your life depended on it. You also seemed to know that Remus wasn't a traitor cause you trust him completely. Remus even told me that at the funeral, you wanted to stay with him instead of go back with the Dursleys. Though, I don't blame you for that one." Said Sirius staring at the floor. 

   They sat there for a long while, just talking about many different subjects until Sirius drove Harry back to bed. Harry, amazingly, was able to get back to sleep that night and didn't have another nightmare. Instead he dreamed about his father and his three friends who called themselves 'The Marauders'.

   And anyone who bothered to notice, would have seen a small smiled spread across his face that would have provide enough energy in a patronus to destroy a street full of Dementors.

   A cloaked figure slipped away, down a secret passage that led to Harry's dormitory, with an identical smile on his face.   

**AN:** Hope you enjoyed this new chapter! I write am writing chapter ten onto this computer and will write more after I have posted this! I wrote chapter ten back in March as well, but I haven't gotten around to typing in up until now1 I'm currently writing chapter Twenty-Three on paper. So I have been busy with this story and I almost have the whole thing written! I'll have to stop writing this AN soon cause I feel another round of tears coming because of Sirius's….

   Please don't forget to review! Here are the people I want to thank for review since I posted the last chapter:

   Laterose – You better not start to figure it out. Please email your guess to me privately so I can see if my secret keeping is really that bad! 

**   Kyntor – **Well, for starters, Harry is going through a lot right now! Sirius is the closest thing he has to a father and if I were in his position I would have been able to stay that anger with him either. Besides, Harry is not your normal teenage. He generally doesn't act like normal teenagers would which means that he would be able to calm himself down a lot better. Besides, Harry gets made at everyone later in my story, so keep your shirt on. Also Dumbledore trust Snape and even though I hat Snape, Snape would not give up that information easily. I think he'd much rather die then tell Voldemort what he knows. Snape hates Voldemort remember. He wants him dead even more then Harry does at this point, so he's not going to tell a thing!

**  Anarian – **Thanks for the complement! I've tried really hard to stick to the same style as the other books! I'm not really planning on any sort of death, though the end of my book… Sirius won't be dying, I'll tell you that! 

**   Gryffindor-girl – **Okay, I wasn't not contradicting myself. Let me try to clear this up! Harry wasn't in _immediate_ danger, but he's still in danger. Dumbledore's know quite sure if Voldemort knows exactly where Harry is and knows that if he does, the shields around Privet Drive will hold him off long enough to get Harry out of there. Theses wards, unfortunately, don't block out creatures like Dementors. That's why Harry has to use magic. To try and defend himself, if necessary, against something, like a Dementor, that Voldemort throws at him. Get it! If not, just mention in another review and I'll get back to you!

Also thanks to **Shdurrani,** and** Amy Potter 13** for your reviews! Don't forget to review. Now if you'll excuse me, I think I'm going to either go back to bed and cry or try to type up chapter ten, though I think I'll be the former. 


	11. Visions of the Curse

**AU:** God, I'm so sorry that I've taken so long to update. It's just that I was away all summer, and Luke, my editor was away and then school… anyways I would have had it out a lot sooner, but Luke has had it for like almost two months and still hasn't sent it back so sorry for all of you who hate my spelling, but this chapter has only been edited by me. I just didn't think it was fair to keep you all waiting so long. I've also started a STARGATE fic for those of you who like Stargate so check that out and my Sailor Moon story is going to have a major upload of chapters in a few moments or maybe it already has. Oh well. Just letting you know. I don't know when the next chapter will be out so just hang in there. I'll try to have it out soon. Please remember to Review when you're finished reading. Thanks! Enjoy!

**– Chapter Ten –**

**Visions of the Curse**

   When Harry, Ron, and Hermione entered the Great Hall the next morning, everyone seemed to quite down and stare at Harry. Harry knew why, but still wished that they wouldn't stare. He had enough to worry about and he never could think straight when people were contently staring at him as though he was a disease. 

   He did get some satisfaction though. As they passed by the Slytherin table, Harry was quite pleased to see that Malfoy was glaring daggers at him; mostly likely for the detention he received from Dumbledore. _'At least _something_ good had come out of what happened last night,'_ Harry thought to himself.

   "Well, serves him right after what he did. I hope Dumbledore makes him clean the hospital bedpans, without magic!" said Ron, as they took a seat at the Gryffindor table.

   Harry noticed, unfortunately, that some of the Gryffindors were scooting away from them as though they though being near him were a great crime. He also noticed that people were still staring at him and whispering behind his back when they were sure that he wasn't listening.  

   He sighed and started to eat. Having all this attention was the last thing he had wanted. Too bad there was nothing he could do to stop it.

   Hermione had also noticed that people were staring at Harry. "Just ignore it, Harry. Everything will be back to normal in a few days. Don't worry about it." She reassured.

   Harry looked up at her and smiled. "Thanks, Hermione, though I doubt that it will be that simple." He slowly took another bit of his bacon. He really wasn't all that hunger.

   "New fifth year timetables," said George Weasley, and passed them over. He then noticed Harry sulked expression. "What's up, Harry?"

   Harry didn't even bother looking up from his food. He was surprised that the Weasley twins hadn't heard yet. "Look around?" Harry said, in a monotone voice.

   Both Fred and George looked around to find that people were staring in fear at Harry. "Cheer up, mate," said Fred. "It's not like your not use to this. I'll go away just like it always does."

   Harry nodded, though he didn't quite believe what they were saying. Sure he was used to it, but that didn't mean he liked it. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he stared down at his timetable. 

   Ron frowned, "Great. Divinations first thing." He said, not at all liking the idea.

   Hermione just shook her head. "Well, try to think of it this way. At least you don't have Professor Twelawney. She's gone, remember." She took a bit out of her toast.

   "But we have no idea what this new professor is like. What if he's worst the Twelawney?" Ron added, trying to kill his eggs with his fork.

   Harry sighed. "I don't think he'll be that bad, Ron. Dumbledore assured me that he's a real seer. And as long as he doesn't start predicting my death every two seconds, I'll be happy."

   Hermione smiled. "Well, if he is a real Seer, you'll learn a lot but I still say Divinations is a big flock of dragon dung. "

   "_You'll forgive me for saying so, my dear, but I perceive very little aura around you. Very little receptivity to the resonance's of the future,_" said Ron, doing a perfect Twelawney impression. 

   All of them laughed and received weird glances from people all over the Great Hall. Hermione paused for a moment, and then shook her head. "Didn't she say something like that to me in our Third Year?"

   Ron laughed. "Where did you think I got that from? That must have been the only time we've ever seen you talk back to a teacher.

   Hermione grinned, "Well, she did deserve it. All that 'Inner Eye' nonsense was driving me mad."

   "Harry Potter?" said a shy voice from somewhere behind Harry. Harry turned to see the little girl he had saved last night, standing a few feet away from him, looking very nervous, but not nearly as shaky as she had last night.

   Harry smiled at him friendly. "Hi Zoe. Feeling better?"

   Zoe decided that it was safe to walk a bit closer. "Yes. I just… I just wanted to thank you. I never meant to be that silly."

   Harry shook his head at her. "Don't worry about it, it wasn't your fault. It happens sometimes when you're new."

   She smiled at him. "My mother owled me this morning. She was told about what happened last night and she always wants to say thank you."

   "Tell your mom that she's welcome." Harry smiled.

   Zoe nodded and ran off to join her first year friends. "She's a cute kid, isn't she?" said Hermione watching her have fun with her friends.

   "Yup, sure is." Harry answered. He then stared down at his watch. "I think we better get going."

   Ron and Hermione nodded and they all grabbed their bags. The hall went silent again as they walked out. As soon as they were out of earshot, Harry gave an out a growl of frustration. "Can't they just stop that!"

   Hermione just shook her head at him. "You can't really blame them, Harry. If I didn't know you as well as I do, I'd probably be acting the same way."

   Ron nodded in agreement, but said nothing. He was afraid of saying something that he might regret. So he decided to try and change the subject. "I can't wait to start Defense Against the Dark Arts. I bet Sirius is just as cool as Professor Lupin."

   Harry smiled. "I can't wait either. Sirius is the best. I'm sure that our first lesson with him will be eventful."

   Hermione took a quick glance at her timetable. She then smiled. "Well, we won't have long to wait. We have Defense after lunch."

   Both Harry and Ron grinned. They walked up a stairwell and once they reached the top, went their separate ways. "I'll see you at Transfiguration." Hermione called as she disappeared down the hall.

   Harry and Ron waved to her, then quickly made their way to the North Tower. "You would… have thought… that this new professor…would have been smart enough… to move the class… closer… to our other… classes." Ron remarked halfway up a set of stairs, completely out of breath.

   Ron shook his head as they finally came to the huge circler room below the Divination classroom, full of all the other fifth years. "To bad your dad, Sirius, and Remus never found a short cut to this place. It would have been really helpful."

   Harry nodded. Why did Twelawney put her class so far away from all the others? Maybe she just like to torture them by making them run all the way here and have to deal with all the moving stairs and doors that didn't like to open.

   Suddenly, music filled the air. Students whirled around in circles trying to figure out where it was coming from. The music was growing louder. It was eerie, and spine tingling. It gave Harry a feeling of hope and pleasantness. Then, as the music reached its peak, flames erupted near the top of one of the windows.

   "Oh My God," shouted a Ravenclaw girl. "It's a Phoenix!" 

   A crimson bird the size of a sawn had appeared, piping its beautiful music through the room. It had a glittering golden tail as long as a peacock's and gleaming golden talons.

   A second later, the bird was flying straight at Harry. It landed heavily on his shoulder. As it folded its great wings, Harry smiled up at it fondly, but in surprise. The bird stopped singing. It sat still and warm next to Harry's cheek, gazing happily down at him as though it knew something he did not.

   "That's a phoenix…" said Neville, staring amazed at it.

   "Hello Flame." Harry cooed, and he felt Flame's golden claws squeeze his shoulder gently.

   "Harry," said Lavender slowly. "Why is that phoenix perched on _your_ shoulder?"

   Harry just simply stared at her for a moment, not exactly sure what to say. If he told them that she was his phoenix, there would be even more gossip about him and that was something he wanted to avoid. But how? What could he tell her?

   He glanced over at Ron for help, but Ron was just as much at a lost as he was. _'Great,'_ he thought. _'Thanks so much Flame.'_ He glared up at her angrily. 

   He sighed in defeat. "Because she's mine." He heard gasps and people started whispering things. He couldn't make out what they were saying, but he knew that he would probably find out sooner or later. Word had a tendency to travel quickly in this place. 

   "Why would you have a phoenix?" Parvati asked, leaning closer to get a good look at the bird.

  "Well," he started, but he was saved from answering as the trapped down opened and the silver ladder fell down and landed at Harry's feet.

   Harry quickly scrabbled up the ladder, not wanted to talk about how he had gotten Flame. Flame took flight and soared through the trapdoor just ahead of him. As he and Ron entered the room, they were both surprised to find that the curtains and windows were wide open and the usual strong cent of perfume was gone.

   Ron nudged Harry forward and said, "Well, at least he's not trying to make use sick with all that perfume she had up here."

   Flame sang out to get his attention. She was perched on the table by the window where he and Ron usually sat. Harry just shook his head and made his way over to her. "Sometimes," he said, "I think you know more then you let on."

   She just crocked her head at this then flew up to his shoulder. Ron took a seat beside Harry, trying not to notice the weird looks people were giving Harry. He hoped Harry didn't notice. He decided to try to keep Harry occupied. "Looks like we'll be doing some orb gazing to start," Ron said, gesturing to the misty sliver orb in the center of the table.

   Harry sighed as he stared at the orb. Orb gazing was very boring in his opinion. Nothing but a ball of silvery mist. 

   "Good morning class." Said a voice from across the room. The students looked up towards the fireplace to see a middle-aged man dressed in purple robes with sandy brown hair. He had on round glasses that framed a pair of hazel eyes that seemed to hold a vast amount of knowledge and wisdom. He sorted reminded Harry of Remus, just not as tried looking.

   The man smiled. "My name is Professor Toggart. I'll be filling in for Professor Twelawney this year and maybe even longer, depending on how long she is away."

   _'Well,'_ thought Harry. _'At least he doesn't sound anything like Twelawney. That's a start.'_

   "Now," said Professor Toggart. "From the notes Twelawney left me, I know that you've already done orb gazing, but I thought that we'd just do a bit a review before moving onto some new things and also just so I can see if any of you can see something. Most people don't have the right… the right type of magic to perform Divination and if you do, it's very hard to learn without a teacher who can perform it themselves." People began to snicker in the class while Lavender and Patil scowled.

   Harry watched Lavender's face turn red with anger. He knew how much she adored Twelawney. He really didn't want to be here when she exploded.

   "Can you perform it, then?" Lavender blurred out, crossing her arms defiantly. 

   Professor Toggart merrily smiled at her and answered calmly, " We'll that depends. What exactly do you want to know?"

   Harry could tell Lavender had not been expecting that answer. She started wide-eyed around the class for a moment 'til her eyes landed on Harry. She then smiled smugly._ 'Uh-oh,'_ Harry thought.

   "Is something bad going to happen to Harry?" she said.

   Harry's mouth dropped open. "Don't get me involved in this?" he said, feeling a certain kind of dread. Did he really want to know the answer to that question? With Voldemort around, anything was possible.

   But Professor Toggart seemed unconcerned. He sighed. "Lavender, if there's on thing you should have learn from this course it's this: No one should know _anything_ about their future. Divination does allow people to gaze into the future, but it's never good to know too much. For example, if I told you that someone you knew was going to die tomorrow, you would of course try to prevent it, but by doing so, you may end up doing the thing that cause them to die. It's never good to try and meddle with time. That is one of the reasons why Prophecies are always written in riddles. You never understand them until the exact moment when it is necessary that you understand it."

   This stunned the class into silence. Even Flame was quiet. Harry had never heard anything like that before in Divination. Professor Twelawney always tried to get them to for see their deaths or other important events in the future.

   "Well," said Professor Toggart, rubbing his hands together excitedly as though nothing had happened. "If you're all satisfied now, Let's get to work. What I want you to do is to try and see an even from the past in the orb. The past is normal much easier to focus on then the future because it has already happened. If any of you have the ability for Divination you should hopefully see something before the end of class. Get to it."

   Harry sighed and pushed the orb to Ron. "You try first."

   "Alright then." Said Ron, puling the orb so that it was directly in front of him. His face scrunched up as he pretended to be in deep concentration. Harry stifled a laugh.

   "Hmm…" Ron mumbled, the slivery mist reflecting in his eyes. "I see… I see Professor Twelawney, leaving Hogwarts at a run. Something's chasing her. It… It looks like…" Ron gasped, "It's the grim."

   Harry couldn't help but laugh. Some people looked at them strangely but they ignored them. 

   "Interesting, Ron," Harry and Ron jumped at the sound of Professor Toggart's voice. He was standing right in front of their table, but he didn't look mad at all. He was smiling. "I heard Professor Twelawney had a problem with grims. Seemed to think they were everywhere."

   Ron couldn't help but smile, though Harry noticed the tips of his ears had gone red, like they always did when he was embarrassed.

   "Don't worry about it, Ron," said Professor Toggart. "Not everyone can do Divination. At least you tried." He then turned to face Harry. "Why don't you give it a try now?" 

   "Sure," said Harry and Ron passed him the orb. 

   "Remember to concentrate hard on the past. Try not to think about anything else."

   Harry nodded and gazed into the orb. He was a bit annoyed when he noticed that Toggart was watching him closely but then decided to ignore that and just focus on the orb. 

   After a few minutes of seeing nothing but silvery mist, Harry rubbed his eyes and looked back up at Toggart. He seemed to be thinking about something. What, Harry didn't know.

   "That's odd. It seems that there's something their, but it can't surface." Toggart mumbled. Harry and Ron exchanged glances. What was that suppose to mean?

   "Try it this way, Harry, " he said, coming to stand by Harry's side. "You see how the silvery mist is circling that bluish center."

   "Yes." Harry answered.

   "Try focusing on that center and ignore the shadows you see in the mist."

   Harry nodded and sighed. This was going to take awhile. He focused on the center of the orb; try not to look at the shadows and trying to concentrate on seeing that past. He felt like he had been starting into that thing forever and was about to stop, when he saw something in the center. It was an image. 

  Suddenly, the silvery mist glowed gold and Harry felt like he was being pulled into the orb, drowning in it. In a flash of golden light, Harry found that he was no longer in the Divination classroom, but was standing in the middle of… a living room.

   Harry stared around the beautiful room in confusion. "What?"

   At that moment, a man walked into the room carrying a small child. Harry couldn't believe his eyes. It was… his father. He didn't seem to see Harry at all as he hunted around the room in search of something.

   The child in James' arms started to cry and Harry realized that it was him, as a baby. "Ssh, Harry," said James, soothing down the untied mop of jet black hair on baby Harry's head. "I'll find Rory. I know he's around here somewhere."

   Harry didn't understand. Was he acutely seeing the past? But… how? He just couldn't figure it out. He had never seen anything before. Why did he all of a sudden start seeing something. Maybe it was all just a dream, though he highly doubted it. It seem too real.

   James sighed after searching the whole room to no avail. "Lily?" He called out into the a-joining hall. "Have you seen Rory? I can't find him."

   _'What the hell is Rory?'_ Harry thought, but a voice interrupted his thoughts. "I think I saw him in the kitchen by Harry's high-chair." _'Mom?'_ Harry thought, looking out into the hall, but he didn't see her.

   "Now why didn't I think of that?" said James, shaking his head on his way towards the kitchen. Harry followed. The a-joining hall stretched from the front door all the way back into the kitchen. It was lined with pictures of the Marauders and of Harry and his family. Harry's eyes tear up as he watched the pictures wave to him. They all seem so… happy.

   As Harry entered the kitchen, he saw things he had only ever seen at the Weasels. The dishes were cleaning themselves, there was a stove in the corner heating up a bottle of milk, the broom was just finishing the floor. He wonder if this was what his life would have been full of had his parents survived.

   His father was bending over at a high-chair by the side of the table retrieving what looked like a stuffed griffin. Baby Harry immediately stopped crying upon seeing his beloved toy. 

   "Here you go, squirt," said James, handing the toy to his son. Baby Harry giggled as he grabbed hold of the toy then preceded to suck on it's furry ear.

   "Find it?" Harry whirled around to get his first true look at his mother. He had often hear people describe his mother as being very beautiful, but had never had anything to base that on except for the pictures he had. But now, he realized how true everyone was. Her red hair fell down to just below her shoulders and her blazing emerald eyes were filled with such knowledge along with wisdom. 

   James nodded as Lily moved towards them. She smiled fondly at her son as he clung to his father and the toy. Harry couldn't help but feel a painful ache in his chest. It hurt to see his parents with his younger self, knowing that he would never again know what it felt like to be hugged or loved by his parents.

   "James?" Lily said, his voice now grave and fearful. "Do you think something's gone wrong? I mean, we haven't hear from Peter or Sirius lately. What if something happened to them?"

   "I'm sure their fine," said James though his eyes didn't quite show it. "If something had happened, we would have found out by now."

   "I know," said Lily. "But I can't shake off this bad feeling that I have. I feel as though something's gone wrong."

   James just merrily nodded. Harry could see the tension in his body, like he felt the same way. Maybe he did.

   James sighed. "Well, come on, squirt. Better get you off to-"

   A banging noise interrupted him. Barking follow, then… nothing. Dead silence.

   "James?" said Lily, a faint note of fear in her voice.

   "I'm sure it's nothing," he said, but Harry noticed that James was reaching for his wand. Wand in hand, James crept back into the living room, his other arm tightening securely around baby Harry. Lily and Harry followed close behind. 

   Harry understood what was happening now. This was the night Voldemort attacked them. The night his life ended and the pain began.

   James pulled back the red curtain beside the sofa and peered out into the dark night. He saw nothing at first, but then he saw a cloaked figure moving silently towards the house. James' body tensed up and Lily grabbed his arm, fearing the worst.

   "James, what is it?" Her voice was trembling now. 

   James shut the curtain and turned to face her, his face grave. "Lily, it's him." He handed her baby Harry. "Take Harry and go. I'll hold him off."

   Lily hesitated. Baby Harry was reaching out to James. James pushed he towards the hall. "Go!"

   Lily nodded sadly, realizing what he was doing  and ran back into the kitchen with baby Harry. Harry watched her from the hall as she tried the back door, but found it locked. It was guarded by some sort of spell. "Dame it," she mumbled then head back out into the hall and ran up the stairs.

   James moved in front of the stairwell, guarding it. Harry wished that he could do something, but this was in the past. There was no way of changing it. All he could do was stand-by and watch. Watch his parents die at Voldemort's hands and watch his younger self become the 'Boy Who Lived'.

   The Front door crashed open and there, standing among the rising mist and rubble, was Lord Voldemort. Voldemort's red eyes landed on James and Harry's scar began to tingle. Harry saw his father visibly tense up, but still held his wand out steady in front of himself.

   "Well, James Potter," Voldemort drawled. "We meet again."

   _'Again?'_ Harry thought. _'My dad has faced Voldemort before?'_

  James didn't seem affected by this statement. Voldemort moved closer. "You've cost me a lot of trouble, James. What with you and your Mudblood capturing my Death Eaters." Voldemort grinned. "But I won't hold it against you if you take me up on my offer. This is your last chance, James. Don't squander it."

   Harry didn't understand What offer? What was Voldemort going on about? His father couldn't have been making a deal with Voldemort? His father was dead, and from everything he had heard from Sirius and Dumbledore, this just didn't seem to fit.

   "You know my answer, Voldemort. I've already told you the answer is no. I wasn't aware that you had a hearing problem as well as an insanity one."

   Voldemort flared up with rage. "You're a fool not to join me, James. We could have done great things together."

   James smirked. "There's no way in hell I'd join you. All you want is my son, but I'm not going to let you have him."

  Harry tried to understand what he was hearing. Voldemort had want his father to join him, but he also wanted Harry. But _why_ did he want Harry? Why did he want to kill him? It was the great mystery of Harry's life. Why did Voldemort want to kill him?

   "I can't allow that child to live, James." Hissed Voldemort. 

   "And I can't allow you to hurt him. _Expellumus!"_

   Voldemort blocked it easily. "You've disappointed me greatly, Potter. I had expected better of you. Cruto!" 

   "_No!" _Harry screamed out, but it didn't matter. James fell to the floor screaming and withering in pain. The cries of a child could be hear in the background above James' screams. Harry eyes tear. He didn't want to see this. He wanted it to stop.

   Voldemort lifted the curse. "Oh, James. Now, I'm afraid, I'll have to punish you."

   James lay still, panting hard at the bottom of the stairs. All he could hear clearly was the sounds of his son's cries from just up the stairs. "Harry," he breathed, knowing that he would never set eyes on him again.

   Voldemort stepped closer and knelt down beside James. "You could have helped me James. But you're too pigheaded to see what you've given up."

   James stared up at the ugly face that had ruined his life. He had failed. He couldn't protect Harry. Harry knelt down beside his father and tried to put a hand on him, but couldn't. His hand went right through him. _'Oh, Dad.'_

Voldemort's eyes narrowed. "I know what you're thinking, James, but you're wrong. I'm not going to kill you, but I'll do something much worst. I'm going to send you somewhere where you will wish for death. I hope you enjoy watching you're son and everyone else that you love die."

   James spit at him. "Go to Hell!"

   Voldemort sneered. "You first." He then stood and pointed his wand at James. Harry tried to look away, but found that he couldn't. "Good-bye, James Potter. _Remerus Destructsive!" _There was a flash of blue light then there was silence.

   "Harry? Harry!" 

   Harry's eyes blinked. He was back in the Divination classroom; Students were standing all around him. Ron looked both worried and concerned.

   "Harry, are you alright?" Professor Toggart said, peering into Harry's eyes as though he knew what had happened. Maybe he did.

   Harry just closed his eyes and tried to will the images he saw away, though it didn't seem to work. He felt like crying right now, but knew that he couldn't. He opened his eyes again and nodded. "I'll be fine."

   Ron breathed a sigh of relief. "What on Earth was that, Harry? You were in some kind of trance and kept muttering things under your breath. We only caught something about your father and You-Know Who."

   "I did what?" Harry looked around him to find that every single student in the class was standing around their table, staring at him with either fear or amassment. He looked down at the table wanting to avoid their glazes. He wasn't quite sure what had happened. Did he have a real vision? But then, why hadn't he had one before now? 

   Professor Toggart cleared his throat. "Alright everyone. Settle down and return to your seats. I don't want to hear anyone one talking about this, is that understood?" He said and received a few murmurs of 'yes, sir' from around the class.

   Harry smiled up at his gratefully. Professor Toggart squeezed Harry's shoulder reassuringly then head back up to the front of the class.

   Harry sighed and sank further down in his seat. What a great first day this had turned out to be? Maybe this was what Dumbledore had been talking about in that meeting a few days ago. He just never thought that _this_ was what he had meant.

   Flame flew down into Harry's lap and watched him closely as though she knew what he was thinking. He began to stroke her absently, finding that it help to sooth his worries. She seemed to have that affect most of the time.

   "Now," Professor Toggart said. "For Homework. I'd like you to read pages one through twenty and do questions 1-10 on page twenty-one. Dismissed."

   Harry slowly gathered his books and put them back into his book bag. Ron seemed to be watching him closely, which just annoyed him to no ends. "I'm okay, Ron. Really?" he said, though it was obvious that Ron still didn't believe him. 

   "Are you?"

   Harry sighed. "I'll be fine."

   "I sure hope so, cause at the moment it sure doesn't look that way." Ron said, heading for the ladder.

   Once the reached the bottom, they slowly began their way to Transfiguration. People kept glancing back at Harry and whispering things when they didn't think he was looking. _'Will this never end?'_ he thought.

   Ron of course just kept silent. He was jealousy of Harry yet again, but with the way his friend was acting, he tried to bury the feeling as best he could. Harry needed he and Hermione right now.

   "Ron! Harry!" They both looked up to see Hermione running towards them, a huge smile on her face. Harry tried to smile back, but failed miserably. 

   Hermione finally reached them, bursting to tell them all about her class, but her smile faltered when she saw the look on Harry's face. "What happened? Your new teacher couldn't have been that bad, could he?"

   "There's nothing wrong with our teacher, Hermione." Harry answered. "Quite the oppose. He really knew he stuff."

   "He didn't predict your death, did he?" asked Hermione.

   Harry shook his head. " He wouldn't tell us anything about the future, saying that it was dangerous to know too much about your future."

   Hermione was starting to get frustrated. "Then what on Earth could the matter be?"

   Harry just stared at the floor and didn't answer. Ron sighed. "We were orb gazing again. Trying to see a part of the past, and well, Harry… did."

   "You did?" she said, not quite believing what she was hearing. "What did you see?"

   Harry slowly looked up from the floor. Both Hermione and Ron were staring at him now. He sighed. "I saw… I saw Voldemort's attack on my parents."

   "You sure?" said Hermione. "You didn't just remember it?"

   "Hermione, I was one-year-old when Voldemort attacked us. There's no way that I could remember that. Besides, in the vision I watched my father die, but my one-year-old self was with my mother. Even if I had remember something, I couldn't have remembered that cause I wasn't there." Harry ended softly.

   After hearing this, Ron and Hermione decided not to push the issue. They reached the Transfiguration classroom and waited patiently for Professor McGonagall to come. People were trying to stay as far away from Harry as possible, which only made him feel worst._ 'What a fun year this is turning out to be,'_ He thought.


	12. Dogs and Visions

**AN:** Look I'm getting more chapters out. I'm hoping to get at least one chapter out a week for both this story and my Stargate one, though I'm not sure if I'll have enough time. I'll try though. And for those of you who reviewed chapter ten, thanks. Oh, and Laterose, I sent you an email but it got sent back. I'd be great if you could beta for me. I don't know what's going on with Luke so I've dumped him as beta. Email me if you're still interested and I'll send chapter twelve over once I get it typed up. Here's chapter eleven!!!

**– Chapter Eleven  –**

**Dogs and Visions**

   The next few days were hell for Harry. It was like second year all over again. People talked in hushed voices around him as though he was dead, or they just tried to avoid him all together. The worst was al the looks he had been receiving from everyone around the school. Even Gryffindors were staring at him oddly. As if this year hadn't been bad enough what with the Dursleys and Voldemort coming back, this had to happen on top of it. 

   The Teachers didn't really take noticed to the strange behavior of the students. They were too busy loading everyone down with work, as the O.W.L.S were this year. Harry had it worst then most. Not only did he have his regular classes, but also his advanced ones on top of it. The workload was being very straining on him.

   Sirius had suggested getting a time-turner or using a spell which would slow down time so that Harry could get all of his work done and still get enough sleep, but Dumbledore hadn't yet found one. Time-turners were out of the question as Fudge wouldn't dare give one to Harry and Dumbledore didn't want Harry using a time-slower charm as their ridiculously advanced. 

   So, at the moment, Harry had a ton of work, was not getting enough sleep and, of course, the way people were treating him was not helping matters. 

   "Harry? Harry!" Harry was gently shook out of his musing too see Hermione and Ron giving him piercing gazes. They were in the Great Hall for lunch talking about, Transfiguration, or so Harry thought. He wasn't quite sure what the subject of topic had been as he had really been listening. That seemed to happen a lot lately. The only time he ever seemed to pay attention any more was in class.

   "Sorry. I was… thinking." He said. Hermione just gave him a look and he knew that she didn't buy it.

   She placed her book down on the table and gazed into Harry's eyes as though trying to see something that wasn't there. "Harry, you've been like this ever since school started. What's wrong?"

   "Everything," Harry grumbled, looking away from her and down at his food. He really didn't feel like talking about this.

   "Well,' Hermione began, "Ron and I can't change the fact that you're a seer or that people keep treating you like you're a freak, but we can be here for you. Harry just ignored them. They're just stupid idiots who fear what they don't understand."

   "Hermione, I don't even understand it. All of a sudden, I'm saving people from falling hundreds of feet; I'm seeing images from the past in the orbs, I'm getting faster reflexes and healing faster then normal. What the hell is happening to me? I am turning into a freak."

   "That's not true, mate." Ron piped in. "You're not a freak, you're just changing."

   Hermione elbowed Ron in the ribs earning an 'Ouch'. "Hey, what was that for?"

   Hermione gave him a pointed glare. "The Point is, Harry, is that no matter what, we'll be here. It's not the end of the world. Besides, with all the trouble you seem to get yourself into, those abilities will come in handy."

   Harry just nodded. He felt a little better after hearing that, though not much. Why couldn't fate o whatever the hell it was just leave him alone from a year or two? That would be the best gift in the world to him.

   At that moment, a loud shrieking voice filled the corridors of the castle earning a lot of laughs though most people had no clue what was happening. "SIRIUS BLACK! GET BACK HERE THIS MOMENT!!!"

   A huge black dog came running into the great hall and dove under the Gryffindor table right by Harry's leg. Harry, Ron and Hermione, bent down and looked under the table curiously. Sirius whimper. "You shouldn't have gotten her anger, mate." Ron said, though he couldn't help but stifle a laugh.

   "I think he realizes that now," said Harry, grinning for the first time since school started.

   Everyone in the hall was gazing around curiously when Professor McGonagall came swiftly into the Hall looking angrier the Harry could very remember her being. Sirius moved closer to Harry's leg and Harry, moved his cloak so that it covered most over Sirius's dog body, hiding him from McGonagall's view.

   McGonagall looked around the hall, and then turned to Harry. "Where did your pigheaded Godfather go?"

   Harry stifled back a laugh. He had never heard McGonagall speak that way about anyone before. "Umm," Harry Began. "He went out the side door, Professor."

   McGonagall huffed and then headed in that direction. Harry quickly chanced a glance down to see that Sirius had turned back and was smiling at him. Harry smiled back. "Don't think I'm going to cover for you all the time," Harry whispered.

   Sirius just shrugged. "Thanks for doing so anyways." He mouthed.

   Harry looked back up just in time to see that McGonagall had changed her mind about going out the side door and started walking towards the teacher's table, which just happed to have a very nervous looking Professor Lupin seated at it. _'Uh oh', _Harry thought. _'Not good.'_

   Remus seemed to tense up under her gaze. Harry did not envy him at this moment. "Remus, how long has he been an animagus?!"

   Harry looked under the table and opened his mouth wide in surprise. Sirius was gone. Harry pulled on the back of Ron's cloak and pointed. Ron just shrugged.

   "Well, ummm-" luckily, Remus was saved from answering as two dungbombs came flying into the Great Hall by the teacher's table. Smoke filled the area and Harry could hear McGonagall coughing. The smoke slowly cleared and Lupin had disappeared.

   McGonagall huffed and walked out the side door of the Great Hall, her robes heavy with the smell. The Hall was silent for a few moments, and then everyone burst into laughter. 

   Ron turned to Harry. "I wonder what all that was about?"

   "Oh, that," said Fred as he and George took a seat beside them, still laughing. "McGonagall was in class explaining what Transfiguration was to a bunch of first years, or so we heard." 

   "Professor Black was hiding under her desk in his do form," George continued. "Then when she turned into her cat form-"

   "He came out from under the desk and started chasing her around the room, barking all the way." Fred laughed, remembering it. 

   Harry and Ron burst out laughing and even Hermione couldn't help but giggle a little.

   "Then," said George, "she turned back into her human form and started chasing him around."

   "She didn't know that it was Professor Black at first. Someone must have yelled it out as he passed them in the halls." Fred said, biting into an apple. "I wish we could have done something like that."

   "Yeah," George agreed.

   Harry laughed at Fred and Georges antics. They would never beat the Marauders. It was impossible, no matter what people thought. Fred and George are bad, but His father, Sirius, Remus, and… Peter had been worst.

   At that moment, the door behind the teacher's table opened a crack to revile a very tried looking Remus. He looked up and down the hall before coming out and peeked out the door McGonagall had disappeared through.

   He sighed. "It's safe to come out now, Sirius." Sirius' head poked out of the door.

   "You sure she's gone?" he asked.

   Remus rolled his eyes. "Why would I lie?"

   Sirius smiled sheepishly than came out of the room, dusting his robes off. Everyone in the Hall began to cheer and laugh.

   Sirius jumped forward, waving his arms with a panicked expression on their faces. "Sssh!!! Quite!!! She may come back!!!" This only received more laughter from around the hall.

   After a few moments, Sirius just smiled and bowed. Ron was laughing so hard he almost fell off his seat. Hermione wasn't much better, Harry noticed. She was clutching her stomach and her face was starting to go red from the lack of air. 

   The look on Remus' face made Harry laugh harder. He looked like he had just survived Hell; though he wasn't surprised that Remus looked that way. If Professor McGonagall had advanced on him like that, he would have been pretty shaken up as well. 

   Harry placed his head down on the table to keep from falling off his chair. He was laughing so hard his eyes were watering and his sides hurt. He could hardly breath.

   Suddenly, his scar exploded with pain and he began to feel like he was falling into a huge black void of darkness. He could no longer hear the laughter or sounds from the Great Hall, and he couldn't feel anything beside the immense pain in his scar and the coldness that had swept over him.

   Then, all of a sudden, he felt ground beneath him. It was cold, dead, and felt somewhat torched. Harry opened his eyes slowly, realizing that somewhere along the way, he had shut them. What he saw was not what he had expected to see. The Great Hall had vanished and was replaced by a dead, fire-eaten, forest that stood by an old house that had recently been torched.

   The smell of burning flesh assaulted his senses making him want to throw-up. That was when he noticed the cloaked figures that were surrounding him in a circle, chanting some mystical spell or curse under their breath. The Death Eaters were back.

   A scream pierced the silence around him. He stood quickly; looking beyond the Death Eaters to where he knew the scream had come from. A hooded figure stood by the old house with his wand pointed at a girl who was withering on the ground before him. Harry's scar gave a nasty little twitch, letting him know exactly who was under that cloak. 

   Voldemort lifted the curse and turned to face Harry, ignoring the woman who lay on the ground beside him for the moment. His snake like features twisted into an ugly little smile as his red eyes glazed over Harry. "Glad you could make it, Harry. I trust you weren't in the middle of something important at school. Unfortunately, if you were, you won't be able to finish it anytime soon."

   Harry's heart beat speed up at hearing this, but he didn't let it show. What did Voldemort mean? Was he going to keep his mind looked up here? There was no way that he could let this happen.

   Voldemort held Harry's gaze for a moment before gesturing to the woman beside him. "Harry, I'd like to introduce you too Emily Ballinger, Auror for the Minstery of Magic, but more importantly a member of the Order of the Phoenix."

   Harry's eyes widened. _'Oh please, not again,'_ he thought desperately. But he tried not to let it seem like it made any difference to him. Instead he heard himself saying, "Still haven't found what you're looking for, Voldie?" His voice had a mocking tone to it. Luckily, Voldemort didn't really seem to care. He just seemed to smile even more.

   "That will change very soon. I can't get the information out of the Order, so that just leaves me with one option. And that's where you come in." 

   Harry didn't like the sounds of this. "I'm not going to help you with anything!"

   "Oh, but you don't have a choice. What I'm panning for you, Harry, will force Dumbledore to give me the information I want. Besides, we wouldn't want to lose the 'Boy Who Lived', now would we?" He smiled making Harry cringing inside.

   "Dum..ble..dore won't…tell…you…any…thing," Emily gasped out. 

   Voldemort turned to her. "I believe that's where you are mistaken, my dear. Unless you want to tell me what I want to know."

   She stayed still, not answering. Harry could see her trembling under Voldemort's gaze and wished that there were some way that he could help her. But there wasn't. Voldemort began to circle her, his robes swaying behind him as he twirled his wand in his hands.

   "Tell me, Emily, Who is the one that the Order of the Phoenix protects?" His red eyes flared, daring her to refuse to tell him.

   She withered away from his gaze and stared up at Harry, as though asking him something. Harry understood and nodded. She was asking him wither he knew, which he did. _'Well, partially anyways,'_ He thought grimly. He knew the Order was protecting him, he just wasn't quite sure why yet.

   Emily turned back to Voldemort spit of his already filthy robes. "I'd rather die then tell you anything!" She snapped.

   Voldemort's eyes seemed to glow redder with anger. "Your loss. _Avada Kedavra!_"

   Harry saw a flash of green light before his scar exploded with pain. He looked up to find that he was back in the Great Hall, with people still laughing all around him. It seemed as though no time had passed at all.

   His scar burned as he clutched it tightly. He could feel Voldemort trying to wrapped tendril like bands of magic around his mind, trying to draw him back. He could feel the anger radiating through the link and wished to whatever God was out there for it to stop. _'He's going to take me back,'_ Harry thought helplessly. _'I can't stay here.'_

   Without thinking about what he was doing, he bolted up from his seat quickly, almost knocking Hermione off her chair in the process, and exited the Great Hall as fast as he possibly could. He could hear the silence that had fallen over the Great Hall at his suddenly movement, but at that moment he couldn't have cared less. He needed to get away from everyone.

    Worry etched every line on Sirius's face as soon as he saw Harry jump up from his seat. By the look on Lupin's face, Sirius could tell that he was also worried. "What was that about?" Remus asked.

   Sirius watched the hall doors slowly shut behind Harry. "I don't know." He started towards Ron and Hermione. Maybe they knew what just went on.

   "What happened?" Sirius asked as soon as he was close enough to hear Ron and Hermione. Lupin was right behind him. 

   Ron just started at them in confusion, not having a clue as to what happened to Harry. Hermione, however, answered, " I'm not quite sure. He had put his head down on the table for a moment and then bolted up from his seat and ran out of the hall. I think he was clutching his scar."

   Sirius exchanged glances with Remus, and at his nod, headed off in the direction Harry had gone. Voldemort was at it again. That could be the only reason Harry had been clutching his scar. But why had he run off? Sirius had a really bad feeling about this.

   He got out into the entrance hall and couldn't find any trace of Harry. He closed his eyes for a moment and tried to sense his way to his Godson. James had taught him and Remus how to do this ages ago, but it had been so long since he had used this particular skill that he wasn't sure it would work. He felt a pull leading towards the Front doors and quickly headed in that direction. Maybe Harry just needed some air to try and coup with the pain from his scar. That thought stop as quickly as it had come when he laid his eyes on the facedown figure, lying at the bottom of the stairwell. 

   "Dammit, Harry," He practically flew down the stairs and quickly rolled the unconscious Harry onto his back. His eyes widened at he saw the trail of blood that lead from Harry's scar to his chin. "Harry?" He said gently, trying to get his Godson to acknowledge him. Harry didn't move. Sirius quickly checked his pulse and was relived to find it strong and steady.

   "Harry?" Sirius said again, shaking Harry a bit harder. Still no response.

   "Sirius?"

   Sirius whipped his head around to see Remus, Hermione and Ron standing at the top of the stairwell. They were all shocked to see Harry lying unconscious in Sirius's arms. 

   "Sirius, what happened?" Remus asked, quickly coming down the stairs to them. Ron and Hermione followed.

   Sirius shook his head. "I don't know." Remus bent down over then and gazed Harry over. Sirius could see that his friend also didn't know what was happening. "Remus, he needs help. Go find Dumbledore." Remus had started moving even before Sirius had finish talking. He disappeared up the flight of stairs, much quickly then most would have given a sick looking man credit for.

   Sirius quickly turned to Ron and Hermione. "Hermione, I need you to go to the hospital wing and get Madame Pomfrey. Tell her exactly what happened?" She nodded briskly and left.

   Ron knelt down beside Sirius and Harry. "What's happening to him?" He asked as Sirius conjured a wet cloth and held it up to Harry's scar.

   Sirius shook his head. "I don't know," he said. He then stared straight into Ron's eyes, giving Ron a look he had never seen on Sirius before. "But whatever it is… I can tell you it isn't good."  

**AN: **Hope you guys enjoyed it! I'll try to get the next chapter out some time next week. Don't forget to review!!!!! Please!!! With a cherry on to!!!


	13. The Charm and the Power

**AN: **Sorry that it took so long to get this out, but I've had a sort of writers block on this story and my other story, Unforeseen, has been going really good. No writers blocks on it and I have so may ideas for it. Anyways, thanks for waiting. I don't know when the next chapter will be out because I'm going to be busy for awhile. Don't forget to review and thanks to all of you who have been reviewing. 

**– Chapter Twelve  –**

The Charm and The Power 

   Harry lay in one of the beds in the hospital wing, tossing and turning, and every so often moaning in pain. He had started moving around violently a little after they had brought him in. No one but Dumbledore seemed to have any idea what was wrong with him.

   They all sat around his bed, not knowing what they could do to help. Even Madam Pomfrey was at a loss as to what to do. Hermione was crying softly into Ron's shoulder at the foot of Harry's bed, but Ron didn't seem to take much notice of it as his arm slowly moved up and down her arm in a comforting manner. He seemed lost in his thoughts.

   Sirius stood beside Lupin and Dumbledore by Harry's bedside. To say that he was worried about his Godson would be a huge understatement.  He didn't understand what was happening or why. All he knew was that Voldemort had something to do with it.

   Dumbledore started down into Harry sweaty face with grave eyes. Voldemort was moving much faster then he had originally thought. Harry was in even more danger now then he ever had been before and he wasn't sure if there was anything he could do to keep the boy safe. This was all happening far too quickly.

   "Sirius? Remus?" Both heads turned to face him. "We need to talk." 

   They nodded solemnly and followed Dumbledore away from Harry's bedside into Madam Pomfrey's offices. After making sure the door was locked and he had placed a secure silencing charm around the room, Dumbledore quickly head towards the fireplace. He then threw some flew-powder into the flames, which immediately turned a bright emerald green, stuck his head in the fire and said, "Dumbledore's office." His whole head then disappeared.

   Lupin watched Sirius very carefully, knowing that Sirius had knack for covering things up but sometimes, if you watched closely enough, he'd let something slip to reveal what was going on inside his head. 

   "Harry will be alright, Padfoot," Lupin said reassuringly, knowing very well that Harry _would_ pull through.

   Sirius sighed, dropping his gaze from the fireplace to the floor for a moment, "I hope you're right, Moony," he said looking up at his friend, "It's just… I don't understand what's happening to him."

   Lupin placed a reassuring hand on Sirius' shoulder, "Neither do I. But if I do know one thing, it's that Harry won't give up without a fight."

   Sirius was about to reply when suddenly, Dumbledore pulled his head out of the flames. A few moments later, a cloaked figure stumbled out of the flames. He stood and dusted what little soot was on his black robes before turning to look at Lupin and Sirius. From what little they could see of his face, the man looked extremely worried. 

   "Dumbledore told me what happened," the man said, his voice full of sadness, "Is he alright?"

   "We don't know," Lupin answered. "We don't even have any idea what is wrong with him?"

   "I believe I may know what is happening to Harry," Dumbledore said, raising a hand slightly to stop their flow of questions, "And Voldemort is behind it."

   No one in room seemed surprised to hear this. They had all known Voldemort had had some part to play in this. He always did. Besides, if they hadn't have been able to guess that, Harry's scar would have given it away. It only ever acted up when Voldemort was either around or feeling particularly murderous. 

   "So, what do you think is wrong with him?" Sirius asked.

   Dumbledore sighed wearyingly, "I believe that Voldemort is again using that spell to pull Harry's mind away from us and towards himself. The only way we can stop it is to block the connection between Harry and Voldemort."

   "And how exactly do we accomplish that?" The Cloaked figure asked.

   Lupin had a thoughtful expression on his face, "Are you referring to the Soul-Guarding Charm?"

   Dumbledore smiled. "Yes, Remus. I am."

   Both the Cloaked figure and Sirius were confused at this point. 

"What's the Soul-Guarding Charm?" Sirius asked.

   "From what I understand of it," Lupin began, "It's a very complicated charm that is used to Guard a person's soul from unwanted forces, but if not done properly, it can go horribly wrong."

   Dumbledore nodded, "That is correct," he said, "But if performed correctly, the charm will tie our magically powers directly to Harry's soul, efficiently blocking Voldemort from doing anything harmful to him."

   "We'll end up forming a kind of spiritual circle with Harry's soul. Kind of like a magical shield, guarding Harry's soul and hopefully his mind from Voldemort," Lupin finished.

   "Well, that should work," the Cloaked Figure said thoughtfully, "But what are the effects of the charm? A charm like that must have some side-effects."

   "It does indeed," Dumbledore said, "But nothing harmful."

   "We'll be able to protect him from anything Voldemort tries to do to him through the bond," Lupin said. "We'll also be able to sense when he is in danger and hopefully be able to tell when he uses his new powers."

   Sirius nodded, "How's the spell performed?"

   "We start by forming a circle around Harry," Dumbledore said. "Then we begin to chant the charm, which is _'inlucesco fulminisi adripui exsuscitare.' _ By doing so, our magical centers will combine to form a sphere around Harry that should only be visible for a few seconds. After that, he should be safe and we'll still be able to get on with our daily lives using magic."

   "So, we won't be draining our magic centers by doing this," Sirius asked.

   "No," Dumbledore said, "Our powers will be combined; making it so only a few bits of our magic is needed to protect Harry. If it was just one of us doing the charm, then it would be almost a complete drain on our magic core."

   There were a few moments before the cloaked figure answered, "Well, I'm willing to do it if it'll help Harry."

   "I will as well," Sirius said. 

   "Very well then. Follow me," he said heading back towards the door, the others following quietly behind. When they came out into the hospital wing, it was to find everyone in a panic because Harry's scar had started to bleed furiously and they didn't know what they could do to stop it. Madam Pomfrey was near the top of Harry's bed holding a wet cloth to his scar in an attempt to stop the bleeding.

   They all glanced at Dumbledore hopefully as they re-entered the room, not noticing the cloaked figure that now accompanied the group. Dumbledore moved swiftly to the bedside. Madam Pomfrey had a very grave expression on her face. 

"He's getting worse, Albus," she said quietly. 

   Hermione made a squeaky noise before burying her head in Ron shoulder. Ron tried his best to comfort her but it didn't seem to be working. 

   Lupin came up behind then and quietly said, "Harry will be okay you two. Don't worry." 

   They both merely nodded at his words, not really taking them in.

   Dumbledore watched Harry closely, "Would everyone please leave, except you three, of course," he said quietly, gesturing towards Sirius, Lupin, and the Cloaked Figure. 

   Ron and Hermione were about to protest, but Dumbledore raised his hand to silence them, "I understand that you want to stay with Harry, but we need you to leave the room, just for a moment. I promise you can be with him once we're finished." 

   Not willing to argue with the Headmaster, they slowly nodded and left.

   "You too, Poppy," said Dumbledore, without even lifting his gaze from Harry. 

Madam Pomfrey huffed then stalked off to her office, mumbling something about never being able to attend to her patients. 

   "Same old Pomfrey, huh?" said the Cloaked Figure.

   "Umm," said Sirius, nodding his head, "She hasn't really changed much over the years."

   They were silent for a moment as the Cloaked Figure moved closer to the bed and stared down at Harry for the first time in almost fourteen years up close. No one was able to read how he was taking this as the darkness in the room completely hid his face under the hood.

   "We better get this done," Lupin said after a moment.

   They all nodded and the four of them surrounded the bed. Dumbledore took out his wand and pointed it at Harry, the others following. Then they began to chant. After a few moments, different colours started to surround them. Silver surrounded Dumbledore, red surrounded the Cloaked Figure, blue surrounded Sirius and Green surrounded Lupin. The colours swarmed together and created a sphere around Harry. After another few moments, Harry also began to glow a bright gold, which began to entwine itself into the sphere that surrounded him.  After another few moments, the sphere disappeared and the room was filled with darkness once again. 

   The cloaked figure promptly disappeared just as Harry began to stir. The boy slowly opened his eyes to find that his whole world was nothing but a blur. He reached over slowly for his glasses when he felt someone slide them back onto his face. 

   "Harry, are you alright?" Harry looked up to see the concerned faces of his Godfather, Professor Lupin and Dumbledore. 

   He slowly sat up, aching all over, "What happened?"

   "Voldemort used that spell again, Harry. Do you remember?" asked Dumbledore.

   Harry just sat still for a moment trying to pull the memories forth. He could remember seeing Death Eaters, a dead scorched forest, and the old burnt down house, Voldemort, Emily…

   "Another Order member is dead," he said quietly, looking down as the sheets.

   Dumbledore nodded sadly, he had been expecting that, "Who was it?"

   "A woman named Emily Ballinger," Harry said, trying to keep the emotion out of his voice.

   Lupin gasped, "I knew Emily. We used to be good friends."

   Harry looked up at him sadly, "I'm sorry."

   "It's not your fault, Harry," said Sirius, placing a reassuring hand on his Godson's shoulder, "There was nothing you could have done."

   Harry stared down at the sheets again. "I know," he whispered. "But I could have tried."

   "Harry," Dumbledore began, "In this war, people are going to die. We may not like it but there is nothing we can do about it. The spell Voldemort had been using wouldn't have allowed you to interfere. It is not your fault. Emily knew the risk and she accepted them. She knew there was a chance that she would be killed and yet she still fought."

   Harry nodded sadly. 

   "Now," Dumbledore said, "To block Voldemort we had to use an ancient charm which is called the 'Soul-Guarding' Charm. It has allowed us to block Voldemort and will also allow us to know when you are in danger." 

   Harry nodded. 

   "But I must ask you, Harry, not to tell anyone about what we have done. It would only put you in more danger."

   "Yes, sir," Harry said.

   "Good," said Dumbledore, "Now I believe Mr. Weasley and Ms. Granger are just outside the door. Why don't we go see them?"

   Harry smiled and got out of the bed slowly, feeling like his legs were going to give out from under him. After a moment, they all walked towards the door and stepped outside. 

   Harry just saw two blurs coming towards him before something slammed into him. When he looked again, he saw Ron and Hermione crushing him in a tight bear hug.

   "Oh, Harry. We were so worried," said Hermione.

   "Um… guys," said Harry, having a hard time talking with them crushing him, "Can't… breath.'

   They both back off to let him breath, both feeling a little embarrassed.

   "Sorry," they both muttered. Harry saw that Hermione's eyes were extremely bloodshot and Ron was as white as a ghost.

   "Harry, How-"

   "I don't know," Harry lied, "Guess Voldemort just got sick of having me around," he smiled a little though no one found the statement funny.

   Dumbledore smiled sadly, "You three should go enjoy the rest of your lunch before you have to head to class."   

  "Yeah, my class!" Sirius squealed, jumping up and down slightly.

   Lupin rolled his eyes, "God help them." Sirius merely smiled.

   "I think his class will be fun," said Harry in Sirius defense.

   "Yeah, especially since we're sharing it with the Slytherin's. Sirius can make their lives a living hell," said Ron smiling.

   Hermione jabbed Ron in the side with her elbow, scowling.

   "Ow! Why did you do that?" Ron asked angrily.

   "Dumbledore's right there you idiot, or did you not notice!' said Hermione quietly, her voice coming out like a hiss.

   Dumbledore looked up when his name was said. "Hmmm… Sorry. I seemed to have gone temporally deaf and I didn't hear a word of what was said just now," he replied, his eyes twinkling behind his half-moon glasses.

   Harry, Ron, Sirius, and Lupin chuckled as Hermione scowled. Dumbledore smiled fondly at them, "Now you three go enjoy your lunch. I need to speak to Sirius and Remus alone for a moment."

   "Okay. See you in class,_ Professor Black_," said Harry smiling as he, Ron and Hermione started heading down the hall.

   "If you call me that in class Harry, I swear I'm going to first burst out laughing and then I'm going to hurt you," Sirius yelled after him.

   "Whatever, _Professor Black_," Harry called back as the three of them disappeared behind the corner.

   Sirius scowled and Lupin laughed, "Oh, poor Padfoot."

   "Shut up, Moony," Sirius growled, but then he just smiled.

   Dumbledore smiled slightly at them, but his eyes had become grave. Sirius and Lupin saw this and they began to frown. 

   "You both can feel that, can't you?" he asked.

     Both Sirius and Lupin nodded. 

   "What is it?" Lupin asked.

   "Its Voldemort, isn't it?" said Sirius, crossing his arms across his chest.

   Dumbledore nodded, "He knows we're blocking him and sooner or later he will find a way to by-pass it. I just hope that we will have giving Harry enough time to develop his powers.

***

      Harry, Ron and Hermione slowly walked down the corridor towards the entrance hall. It was a beautiful day outside and with the cold weather coming soon; they weren't going to be seeing many more days like this.

   "So, how much fun do you think we'll have in Defense his year?" Harry asked. 

   "I'm sure it'll be tons of fun. It'll be like third year all over again, but with Sirius instead of Professor Lupin," Ron said.

   "Hermione?" Harry asked, curious to know what she thought.

   "Well," Hermione started. "I suppose it'll be great. We did have to get a lot of interesting books for Defense this year and I remember reading somewhere that Sirius used to be an Auror. It should be a great learning experience."

   Both Ron and Harry rolled their eyes at her. Leave it to Hermione to state all the educational side to things.

   "Hermione, can't you see the other side to this. Sirius will get all those Slytherins off our backs. Plus he was a Marauder," Ron pointed out.

   Hermione sighed, "He's a teacher. He's not supposed to be picking sides."

   "Snape does," Harry added.

   "Yes, but that's Snape," said Hermione, shaking her head.

   "I don't see your point, Hermione. If Snape's awful to us, Sirius can be awful to them," said Ron.

   Harry sighed as they started to argue. He didn't even bother to try and stop them. It was always useless and some times they would just turn their anger on him. No, it was better just to ignore them when they get like this.

   As they were walking, Harry saw something move out of the corner of his eye but when he looked again it was gone. He frowned deeply. He could have sworn that he had seen something moving in the shadows of the hall, but whatever it was, it was gone now. _'You're becoming paranoid, Harry,'_ he told himself.

   "Oh look who it is. 'The Boy who ran away', accompanied by Mudblood and Weasel," said a drawling voice.

   Harry, Ron, and Hermione all sent death glares at Malfoy and his band of Slytherins. Malfoy was smiling brightly for some reason.

   "What's wrong Malfoy? Didn't learn your lesson last time so now you've come back for more?" Harry asked coolly. 

   "At least I didn't run away when things got a little tense. What was the matter, Potter? Did all that noise startle you?" Malfoy said, causing the Slytherins around him to laugh.

   "It's none of your business, Malfoy," said Harry.

   "Is that so?" said Malfoy, "Well, I guess it doesn't really matter. I'll be rid of you by the end of the year."

   "What's that suppose to mean?" said Ron.

   Malfoy stepped closer to them, "It means that the Dark Lord will get rid of him for me and if I'm lucky," he smiled, "You'll join him."

   Hermione and Ron didn't know what to say to that, Harry's anger was rising.

   "Watch it, Malfoy!" he said hotly.

   Malfoy came to stand in front of Harry, "What are you going to do about it, Potter? Sic your dog on me. The pathetic thing won't last much longer once my father gets through with it."

   Harry's anger exploded, _"Phoenicurx Levisonus!" _

   There was a flash of golden light and Malfoy was thrown backwards across the hall, slamming into a coat of armour on the other side. Harry blinked back in surprise. Where had that come from?

   The Slytherins stared at Harry in shook and made a mad run for it scared that Harry's anger would soon turn on them and he'd do the same thing to them as he had done to Malfoy. They left Malfoy in a pile on the floor, to scared to help him. They just wanted to save themselves. 

   Ron and Hermione were just as shocked and surprised as Harry was, though Ron more then Hermione.

   "Wow, Harry! How did you do that?" Ron asked, coming out of his shock to stare at Harry in amassment.

   Harry frowned looked down at Malfoy and then at his hands. They looked normal, but they tingled slightly from whatever he had done, "I…I don't know."


	14. The Beginning

**AN: **Not a very long chapter, I know, but I don't have much time on my hands anymore (not like I ever did) and I know that I've been making you guys wait awhile. Sorry. Anyways, here's the new chapter. Thanks to L E for betaing! Don't forget to review you guys cause otherwise I won't know if people are still reading this. Thanks and enjoy!

**– Chapter Thirteen  –**

The Beginning 

   "What do you mean, you don't know? You did it!" Ron practically yelled into Harry's face, though Harry didn't take much notice of it. He was too shocked, too stunned at what had just happened. How had it happened? Why did it happen? It's never happened before. It was like the thing that happened the other day with Zoë. 

   "I just don't," Harry said. He didn't know what was going on. Where had those words come from? They had just… come out. 

   "Harry?" 

The trio turned to see Professor Dumbledore, Sirius and Lupin standing near-by. Sirius and Lupin were looking between the trio and Malfoy in confusion while Dumbledore had an unreadable expression on his face. 

   Lupin walked over towards Malfoy and tried to help him up, but Malfoy shook him off. His expression was a mixture of anger and shock. He sneered at Harry, He would have loved to say something, Harry guessed, but Dumbledore was standing right there. So instead he dusted himself off and headed for the dungeons. 

   Dumbledore turned his eyes towards Harry, Ron and Hermione, scanning each with his gaze. 

"Could you please explain what happened here?" he asked. 

   Ron and Hermione immediately began telling the whole story while Harry remained silent. He just couldn't figure this out. What was happening to him? Was this what the Order had been referring too when they had been talking about him. 

   Dumbledore held up his hand to silence them, "One at a time, please. One at a time," he said.

   "Well, you see Professor," Hermione began, "We were on our way outside when we ran into Draco and some of the other Slytherins."

   "Malfoy started saying some pretty mean things to Harry," Ron said, "Things like You-Know-Who is going to get rid of him before the year's out and that if he was lucky, both Hermione and I would join him."

   "He also made fun of Sirius," Hermione said, "Saying his father was going to make sure that Sirius, or more accurately, Padfoot is dealt with soon. That's when Harry said something."

   They both paused for a moment to look at Harry. He didn't even seem to realize they were talking about him. His gaze was fixed on a point on the floor and he was standing almost perfectly still. Dumbledore noticed this as well. 

   "Continue," he said quietly.

   "We are not exactly sure what happened then, sir," Hermione answered, turning back to the Professor. 

   "There was a flash of golden light," Dumbledore exchanged glances with Sirius and Lupin, "and Malfoy was thrown across the hall."

   "He said something as well, just before the flash of light. I believe it was _'Phoenicurx Levisonus',_ but I could be mistaken," Hermione said softly. 

   Dumbledore nodded. He then turned to look at Harry, his gaze scanning him, "Harry?" he said quietly, drawing the younger wizard's attention. "Do you know what happened?"

   Everyone's eyes were on Harry now and all he wanted to do was shrink away from their piercing gazes. He shrugged absently, looking away from them all. 

"I don't know, sir. I'm just as confused about this and Ron and Hermione," he answered.

   Dumbledore nodded again, "Very well," Sirius gave him a look, "Harry," Dumbledore continued, noticing the look Sirius had given him, "Would you please come with Sirius and I to my office for a moment."

   Harry nodded, but said nothing.

   Lupin noticed the looks on Ron and Hermione's faces and decided to try and take their minds off all of this, "Ron, Hermione, would you please come with me for a moment. I need some help preparing for my next class."

   Both nodded, "Sure, Professor," they answered. They then followed Lupin down the hall towards the History of Magic classroom. 

   Sirius walked over to Harry and placed a hand on his shoulder, "Come on," he said and the three of them started up the stairs towards Dumbledore's office.

   Harry was deep in thought the whole way. What was happening to him? What if he ended up really hurting someone with these new powers that he suddenly possessed? Would he end up like Voldemort? Power hunger and wasted away, killing people for pleasure and just because they had angered him in some way. 

   He was so deep in these thoughts that he didn't even notice when they had reached the gargoyle that guarded Dumbledore's office. He almost walked straight into Sirius, but Sirius stopped him in time.

   Sirius watched Harry with worried and concerned eyes. His powers were growing stronger faster then they had thought and Harry wasn't prepared for it. This was all happening to fast and Sirius knew that if they didn't find away to help him, something very bad could happen. Either to someone else or Harry himself. 

   They walked into the office and Dumbledore took a seat behind his desk, "Sit, Harry," Dumbledore said, gesturing towards the seat in front of his desk.

   Harry sat down slowly and remained silent. Sirius took a seat beside him. They all remained silent until Harry broke it. 

"Am I in trouble, sir?" he asked, keeping his eyes focused on the floor. 

   Dumbledore smiled, "No, Harry. You are not in trouble. We brought you here to make sure that you are all right with what has been happening. You saved that girl the first day of school, then you had that vision in Divinations and now you have thrown Mr. Malfoy across a corridor with knowing how exactly you did so."

   Harry didn't respond to this. He just kept his head down and stared at the floor. He wasn't all right. It was obvious. He had no idea what was happening to him or where these powers were coming from. 

   "So," said Dumbledore, "Are you all right?"

   "I'm not sure, sir," Harry answered, "I'm just… confused I guess."

   Dumbledore nodded, "Understandable."

   "Harry," Sirius stared, leaning forward a bit to rest his elbows against his knees, "You know that if you need to talk about any of this, you can talk to either me, Remus or Dumbledore."

   "I know," Harry said, "I guess… I'm just not used to this."

   Sirius tried to contain his anger, _'Damn Dursleys!'_

   "Harry," Dumbledore said, taking a small box out of his desk drawer, "I want you to take this," he handed the box to Harry.

   Harry opened it slowly to find a necklace with a scarlet phoenix flying under a silvery orb, which Harry guessed to be the Moon, "What is it?"

   Dumbledore smiled knowingly, "It's called the 'Orb of the Phoenix.' It's given to people who have strong powers that they cannot control. It blocks the power and enables you to be able to learn to control it on bit at a time."

   "And how do I do that?" Harry asked, putting the necklace on around his neck. 

   Sirius sighed, "We'll help you with that. That's the reason behind your extra courses. They're meant to help you explore your powers and help you learn to control them." 

   Harry nodded, taking in what they had said, _'At least now I won't be able to hurt anyone,'_ he thought.

   "Now Harry," Dumbledore said, regaining Harry's attention, "I believe you have enough time left to go grab your books before you have to head to class."

   "Okay," Harry said, "See you in a few minutes, Sirius." 

Harry then made his way out of the office, down the stairs and passed the stone gargoyle. 

   He sighed deeply as he made his way down the hall towards Gryffindor Tower. His life was getting more complicated by the minute. He thought he had had it bad last year when he had had to participate in the Tri-Wizard Tournament, but now…

   "This is just what I needed," Harry said to himself sarcastically. 

   Then it hit him. It was like walking into a brick wall, a huge wave of dizziness just swept over him and he crumbled to the ground in pain. Then he began to feel sick. Very sick. Like his insides were threatening to slip out. He could hardly think passed the pain.

   Then, just as suddenly as it had come, it left him. Harry stayed where he was on the ground, panting hard. 

"What on Earth was that?" he asked himself.

   He didn't have a good feeling about this. What was that? How had it stared? Could it have been Voldemort? No, that didn't make sense. Not with that charm Dumbledore, Sirius and Lupin had casted. Then what could it have been? 

   Harry sighed and slowly pulled himself to his feet, leaning heavily against the wall. His legs felt like they were made of jell-o and his head as pounding. 

"Well, this can't be good," he said to himself. 

He would have to talk to Sirius about it.

   Just as his legs were about to give out on him, Ron and Hermione came running around the corner, all flushed in the face and carrying Harry's book bag. 

"Oh, Harry. There you are. We were starting to worry." Hermione said.

   "Yeah, come on, mate. Sirius's class is going to start soon. I can't wait to see how Sirius treats the Slytherins," Ron said, grabbing Harry's arm and dragging him down the corridor.

   Harry just smiled and tried to act normal as he forced himself to stand up right and move forward, but Hermione saw right through it.

   She frowned, "Harry? Are you all right?"

  Harry sighed, "I'm fine, really. I guess I'm just still tired after what happened," he said, hoping his friends would buy it. 

   Hermione and Ron both seemed to fall for it, luckily. 

"We should get to class," Harry said, trying to get them off the topic. 

   "Yeah. Come on Harry," said Ron and they started off down the corridor again.

   As Harry, Ron, and Hermione slowly made their way down the hall, a cloaked figure silently made his way out of the shadows. He watched Harry with increasing worry. Something bad had just happened to Harry. Something he couldn't figure out and that bothered him greatly.

   "Damm it!" he muttered. Voldemort was behind this. He knew it. "God Harry," he said quietly as the trio disappeared around a corner. 

   Harry, Ron and Hermione arrived at the Defence classroom only to see a mob of Gryffindors and barely any Slytherins. It seemed that Sirius's little performance had really heightened the sprits of the Gryffindors and they just could wait to have class with him. The Slytherins, of course, were another matter entirely. From what Harry could hear of what they were saying, they seemed to be making fun of Sirius in any way that they could think of. 

   The trio stopped and waited by the door for Sirius: Harry leaning against the wall a little. Hermione eyed him worryingly.

   "Harry, are you sure you're all right?" she asked.

   "I'm fine, Hermione. Really, I'm just tried," he said, trying to sound as convincing as possible. He really didn't want to be talking about this to them at the moment.

   Ron and Hermione decided that it was better not to push Harry on the matter, but they kept throwing him concerned looks out of the corners of their eyes. Harry sighed, noticing this. This was just not turning out to be his day.

   Barking was suddenly heard from somewhere behind them and as they turned to see where it was coming from, a big black door came running into sight, before turning into Sirius Black before reaching them. Harry smiled slightly as his classmates gasped.

   Sirius smiled as he came closer to them, "Well, come on everyone. Inside," Sirius said slightly amused.

   The class slowly filed in while Sirius headed towards his desk in the front of the class. Harry, Ron and Hermione followed him and took seats right up in front near the side of the class. 

   Once they were seated, Harry glanced around. Most of the Slytherins were there now and the Gryffindors were bubbling with excitement. But Malfoy, Harry noticed, was nowhere to be seen. Crabbe and Goyle weren't there either. 

   Sirius smiled at them all and leaned back against the front of his desk, "Hello everyone. I'm Professor Black, as you no doubt have heard," many Gryffindors giggled slightly at that, "and I'm going to warn you all right now that this year will be tougher then most."

   Neville shuttered.

   Sirius continued, "Mostly this is because your O.W.Ls are this year, but also because I've noticed that over the past few years, save your third year," Harry, Ron and Hermione smiled to each other, "You haven't been doing much practical defence work. You've done loads of seatwork and essays on different creatures and spells, but you really haven't been able to put any of this knowledge to the test."

   Harry and Ron look at each other and smiled. Yep, it was definitely going to be like third year all over again. 

   "So," Sirius said walking behind his desk and bending down to pick something up off the ground, "Since you haven't been able to practice much of what you have learned, we'll start now." 

He placed a cardboard box on his desk and it wobbled slightly. 

   "Can any of you tell me what you think I have here in this box?" Sirius asked and Harry wasn't at all surprised when Hermione's hand shot into the air, narrowly missing his right ear. 

   "Yes, Hermione." Sirius smiled at her. He hadn't been surprised either.

   "A Bogart," Hermione suggested. 

   "Correct. Now," Sirius said, gaining everyone's attention again when he heard them start to murmur to each other, "I know that you did Bogarts in your third year, but that's not why I have one here. As you all have heard, The Dark Lord is back in power, which means you all have to be prepared in case something should happen. The Dark Lord will try to gain allies with many of the dark creatures so you have to be prepared for what this war may bring."

   "And what _exactly_ will that be?" Malfoy asked as he Crabbe and Goyle finally arrived.

   Sirius frowned and crossed his arms, "Why are you and your friends late for my class, Mr. Malfoy?"   

Malfoy laughed, "I've got better things to do then come here and listen to a mutt."

   Harry couldn't believe Malfoy had actually said that. Many of his classmates, by the looks on their faces, seemed to be thinking the same thing. Sure, Malfoy had mouthed off to Professors before, but he had never actually been that rude to one. 

   Sirius didn't seem fazed by what Malfoy had said, "Frankly, I don't care what your opinion of me is, Mr. Malfoy, but you will show up for my class on time from now one, unless you have a legitimate reason. Ten points from each off you for being late and another twenty from Mr. Malfoy for talking back to a teacher," Sirius said.

   The Gryffindors tried their best not to laugh, but that was hard. The Slytherins were all glaring daggers at Sirius, but he didn't seem to notice.

   "You're lucky I'm not giving you a detention for you rudeness," Sirius said, "Now take you seats before I deduct more points."

   Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle all sank slowly into their seats, each wearing scowls on their faces. Harry, Ron and most of the other Gryffindors were all red in the face from trying not to burst out laughing. Even Hermione was giggling. It wasn't often that they got to see Malfoy on the receiving end of a teachers lecture. And Sirius gave a very good performance.

   "Now as I was saying before we were rudely interrupted," Sirius continued, "You all need to be prepared for what the war will bring. Voldemort," everybody but Harry shuddered at hearing the Dark Lord's name, "Will gain trust from many of the dark creatures in the world. His main objective right now is to get the Dementors that are guarding Azkaban on his side. If he succeeds in this, he'll have a huge advantage over most people because Muggles can't see Dementors and most wizards and witches can't fight them. Can anyone tell me what can drive a Dementor away?"

   Hermione's hand shot up to fast for Harry to react.

   "Yes, Hermione," Sirius asked again.

   "A Dementor can be driven away by what is called a _Patronus_. It's a misty form that takes on a different shape depending on who casted it. It's powered by one single very happy thought."

   Sirius smiled, "Exactly. Ten points to Gryffindor."

   The Gryffindors smiled to each other.

   "Now, normally we don't teach you the Patronus until your seventh year, but in light of recent events, Dumbledore has asked that you attempt to learn it this year," Sirius pointed out.

   "The Patronus charm is highly advanced and even the most qualified witches and wizards have trouble performing it. I don't expect any of you to be able to perform it straight away, but if your lucky, you may be able to make at least a mist today."

   Sirius patted the box in front of his slightly and it wobbled again, "The reason I have a Bogart here is so that we can practice on it. I couldn't very well bring a real Dementor in here for you to work on, but a Bogart Dementor will react the same way to a patronus as a real one would."

   Sirius then turned to Harry, "Harry, would you like to come up and help me with this?"

   Harry, knowing exactly what Sirius needed him for, nodded and made his way up to stand beside Sirius and the wobbling box. 

   "Teacher's pet," Malfoy spat out and the Slytherins laughed.

   "Mr. Malfoy, do I have to send you to Dumbledore's office?" Sirius asked, giving him a stern look. 

   Malfoy shrunk back in his seat from that gaze and didn't answer.

   "The reason I asked Harry to help me is because I need someone to help me keep the Bogart in the shape of a Dementor while you fight against it. Both Harry and mine's greatest fear is a Dementor so when the Bogart is close to us it will turn into a Dementor."      

   Malfoy was about to answer to that, but a stern look from Sirius stopped him. Harry noticed and gave Sirius a grateful look, which Sirius returned with a smile. He was used to Malfoy's comments by now, but it was nice to have someone stop him before he could say anything.

   "Now everyone, repeat after me," Sirius said, "_Expecto Patronum._" 

   The entire class murmured the words.

   "That's the incantation used to call up your patronus, but the incantation alone won't get it done. What makes the patronus powerful against Dementors is that it is composed of all the things a Dementor feeds off of – hope, happiness, the desire to survive, but it cannot feel despair, as humans can, so the Dementors can't harm it." 

   "For the incantation to work, you must also be concentrating with all your might on one single very happy thought," Sirius finished.

   Harry glanced around the classroom and noticed that many of the students now seemed afraid. He couldn't blame them. It may sound easy to just focus on a happy thought and call up a patronus, but when facing a Dementor, things are quite different. The Dementor can distract you from your happy thought and then you'll never regain your concentration. 

   "Okay," Sirius said, leaning slightly against the box to kept the lid down as it wobbled some more, "I want you all to push these desks back and then form a line across the back of the classroom."

   Everyone in the class did as they were told and soon all the desks had been pushed to the back of the class and everyone had formed a line spanning from one side of the classroom to the other. 

   "So, this is how this is going to work," Sirius said, regaining everyone's attention, "I want one of you to step forward one at a time and stand in front of the box. Not too close other wise the Bogart will turn into what you fear instead of staying a Dementor. When I pull the lid off, you'll try to create a patronus. We'll take a few minutes break between each person just to make sure everyone is all right. Understood?"

   The class nodded eagerly. Seamus stepped forward and got himself ready to fight the Dementor. Harry stayed close to Sirius and the box. He had his wand out and a happy thought waiting just in case.

   "Everyone ready?" Sirius asked, gripping the lid of the box. Everyone nodded. "Seamus, you ready?" 

Seamus nodded.

   "Alright," Sirius said, and then turned to Harry, "Stay close otherwise we won't be able to keep it in the form of a Dementor." 

Harry nodded

   "Okay. GO!!" Sirius pulled the lid straight off the box.

   A Dementor slowly rose out of the box, its hooded face turning this way and that until it landed on Seamus who was standing a few feet away. The Bogart, luckily, couldn't sense Seamus's fear from that distance so stayed in the form of a Dementor. 

   The lamps around the classroom flickered and went out. People started screaming as the Dementor stepped out from the box and started sweeping silently towards Seamus, drawing in a deep, rattling breathe. A wave of piercing coldness broke over them-

   _"Expecto Patronum!"_ Seamus yelled, _"Expecto…"_

   Harry watched as Seamus staggered back. He was having a hard time standing himself. He could hear his parents screaming so loudly in his head, but he ignored them and tried to focus on his happy thought. 

   Finally Seamus collapsed to the ground and Sirius rushed forward, yelling, _"Riddikulus!"_

   After some rustling with the now pink pokadotted Dementor, Sirius was finally able to force the Bogart back into the box.

   Sirius glanced around at the class after he made sure the box was shut to make sure they were all right. Seamus was kneeling on the ground panting hard. The rest of the class was no different. They were all leaning against something, panting hard. Harry, Sirius noticed turning around to look at him, was the worst. 

   After checking to make sure Seamus was all right, Sirius moved towards Harry. His Godson was on the floor, leaning heavily against the side of the desk. His forehead was all sweaty and his eyes were closed. He was taking in short, quick breaths.

   "Harry?" Sirius said, kneeling down beside him.

   Harry slowly opened his eyes to look up at Sirius. Normally Dementors didn't affect him like this that was because he was the one who usually fought it off. He wasn't used to just standing around and waiting for someone else to do it. 

"I really hate Dementors," he said quietly.

   Sirius chuckled softly. "So do I. Come on," he said, helping Harry to his feet and then began to hand out chocolate to everyone. 

   This was how things in the class went on for another hour. A student would come up, try to defeat the Dementor, fail, and then Sirius would hand out more chocolate. Everyone had gone now except for Harry. No one had been able to do anything against the Dementor, including Hermione, which upset her greatly. 

   Sirius shut the lid on the box again, turned to the rest of the class and smiled, "That was a great first try everyone," he said, "Don't feel bad that you weren't able to do anything against the Dementor. With time and practice that should change. I'm sure by the end of the year all of you will be able to create your own Patronus."

   He leaned back slightly against the front of his desk, "Now, for Homework. I want you all to read pages 20-30 in volume one of  'Advanced Auror Charms and Spells for the charmed child' and I want you to write me two rolls of parchment on the patronus to be handed into me on Friday the 30th. Now since we've finished early, I'll let you go as soon as all the chairs and desks are back in place."

   Malfoy scowled and turned to Harry, "Hey Potter. Why didn't you do the charm? Too scared to face a Dementor."

   "I am not, Malfoy!" Harry snapped back sharply. He wasn't in the mood for this. Not after having to keep conscious through the whole class. 

   "Is that so," said Malfoy, "Prove it."

   Everyone remind quite, watching Harry closely. Harry slowly pulled his wand back out.

   "Harry?" Sirius said, "You don't have to. I already know that-"

   "It's all right, Sirius," said Harry making a few people gasp that he had addressed a professor by their first name, "If Malfoy want's to watch me fight a Dementor, then I'll let him."

   Sirius nodded softly, knowing that this was going against his better judgement, but then his Marauder side kicked in and he really did want to see the look that passed over Malfoy's face when Harry casted a Patronus. He slowly moved to stand behind the box again as Harry took his place in front of the desk. It reminded Harry of all those anti- Dementor lessons he had taken with Lupin.

   Everyone held their breaths as Sirius grasped the lid and pulled it straight off. For what seemed like the thousandth time, the Dementor rose out of the box; the room fell cold, silent and dark-

   "_EXPECTO PATRONUM!_" Harry bellowed.

   And out of the end of his wand burst the beautiful sliver stag. It galloped silently away from Harry and slammed hard into the Dementor, which staggered back. If it had been a really Dementor, it would have exploded.

   Sirius rushed forward again, yelling, _"Riddikulus!" _after he rustled the Bogart back into the box, the lights came back on and everyone let out a deep breath.

   Harry turned to Malfoy to find that his eyes were wide and staring at where Harry's patronus had disappeared. Ron and Hermione were trying hard not to laugh, as the other students were just as shocked as Malfoy.

   "Now," Sirius said, gaining everyone's attention, "Since 'everyone' has now gone, I want this classroom straightened out and then you may leave."

   The class didn't need telling twice. After putting everything back where it belonged, they all packed up their things and began to leave.

   "Harry," Sirius called, making Harry turn back to face him, "Could you stay behind for a moment?"

   "Sure," he answered as he doubled back to Sirius's desk. Sirius leaned against the front of it. 

   "Since you all ready know about the patronus, you don't have to do the essay," he said. "Instead, I want you to write me an essay about a charm called the 'Cretia'." 

   Harry frowned slightly, "What is the Cretia?"

   Sirius smiled, "That's what you need to find out, but I know you'll like it. So, I want two rolls of parchment on it to be handed in with everyone else's essays. You can find it by reading pages 30-45 in volume one of 'The Fine Art of Dueling'. I think it's also in volume two of your fathers books, but I'm not sure. You'll have to look."

   "I take it that I'll be learning it later," Harry said.

   "Oh yes," Sirius replied, "I'll teach it to you in one of your advanced classes. Trust me. You'll love it once you figure out what it is."  


	15. Confrontations

**AN:** Sorry that I haven't updated lately but I've been busy and I've had a hard time trying to type this things up. So I'm not going to say much more here. Here's a summary of what's happened so far for those of you who have forgotten:

**Summary: **Harry got attacked at Privet Drive twice and Vernon abused him. Sirius came and got him and after a skirmish in Diagon Alley brought him to Hogwarts early. Remus picked Ron and Hermione up as well as the rest of the Weasleys bringing them to the school. Harry gets a Phoenix and starts having advanced classed. After the students arrived Malfoy made fun of Harry again and Harry ends up somehow saving a little girl. For the next few weeks, strange things keep happening and people are talking behind Harry's back. (Note: This summary is very general and I didn't mention everything that has happened 'cause it's been awhile for me too since I wrote the last parts. I hope there was enough there to remind you of what had happened. Enjoy and don't forget to review!!!)  

**Chapter Fourteen:  **

Confrontations 

   It had been almost two weeks since the action packed first week of school and to Harry's relief, nothing too much out of the ordinary had happened since. The teachers had been piling on the work even more so then usual, but Harry suspected that that had a lot to do with the fact that they had their O.W.L.S to do at the end of the year. 

   His advanced classes had been interesting to say the least. At first, Harry couldn't even understand why he was doing them. The spells and theories that he had to earn were so ridiculously hard that he didn't know how he was ever going to survive, but now they were slowly getting easier as he began to understand the material he was being taught. The only thing he didn't like was the fact that he had an extra potions lesson… with Snape.

   "Ugh, I give up!" said Ron, throwing down his quill for what seemed like the thousandth time. 

   Hermione looked up from the book she had been reading and rolled her eyes. "What don't you understand now?"

   "It's this stupid patronus thingy. I still can't make the thing work and without understanding how it works, how can I write an essay based on that?" Ron said, crossing his arms.

   "Ron, I can't believe you find writing that essay so difficult. A patronus is powered by a single very happy memory. The rest of the essay should just be about the origins of the patronus and why people have so much difficulty creating it. What else do you need to know?" Hermione asked.

   "Well, if it's so simple, why did I see you ripping your hair out the other night because you were having so much trouble writing it?" Ron shot back.

   "Well… because… I've been under a lot of stress lately and I haven't been able to focus properly," Hermione stammered, hiding her face behind her book.

   Ron crossed his arms, with a smug look on his face, "Why can't you just admit that you're not perfect Hermione?"

   Harry sighed deeply from where he sat curled up in one of the big armchairs beside them, a book placed in his lap. If this kept up he'd never get him own work done. 

   "Could you two please be a little quieter? I'm trying to get this done," Harry said, making both Ron and Hermione look up at him.

     "Geez, mate," Ron said, "You're acting more and more like Hermione everyday; constantly reading books and working on homework all the time." 

   "And what's wrong with that?" Hermione asked, slightly annoyed. "It's nice to know that at least Harry is taking his work seriously."

   "Hey, I take my work seriously," Ron answered.

   Hermione rolled her eyes again and turned back to her own work, tilting the book slightly so that the light from the fireplace lit up the page. It was slowly becoming darker outside of the tower and they had to stay close to the fireplace so they could see their work. Everyone else was either outside or already in the Great Hall.

   Harry squinted, trying to read. 

_  'The Cretia charm, meaning protector, is used to block a variety of powerful spells. The most powerful that it is known to block is the 'Cruciatus curse'. Only powerful wizards and witches have been able to block the 'Cruciatus' with the Cretia but it is possible. The incantation to perform the charm is 'aripere cretio' which will create a different colour shield around the caster depending on the power level of the wizard. Only the caster is able to see the shield unless they wish to have others see-'_

"What are you reading, Harry?" Ron asked, trying to see the title on the black book in Harry's lap.

   Harry sighed deeply and looked up at Ron, "Ron, I don't mean to be rude or anything but I'm trying to finish my homework."

   "What class is it for?" Hermione asked, wondering if she might be able to help. 

   "It's for Defence," said Harry, turning back to his book. 

   Ron leaned forward a bit to try and get a look at the words on the parchment Harry was now scribbling on. This was difficult seeing as how he and Hermione were sitting on the floor using the low table in front of the fireplace to do their work while Harry was seated in one of the big red comfy chairs doing his work in his lap. 

   "That doesn't look like any of our Defence books," Ron observed. 

   "That's because it isn't on of _your_ Defence books," Harry answered him, scribbling a few more lines down on his parchment without glancing up.

   "What do you mean?" asked Hermione.

   Harry placed his quill down in the crease between the pages in his book and looked up at them. _'I'm never going to get this finished,'_ he thought before he spoke, "Listen. I'm using a different book then you guys. I was asked on my booklist to get three other series then the ones everyone else got, okay?"

   "What's the name of the book you're reading?" Ron asked.

   Harry rolled his eyes and turned back to his work, "The Fine Art of Duelling, Volume One." 

   Hermione and Ron exchanged looks.

   "Why don't you just use the other books?" Hermione asked. 

   "Because I'm not doing a patronus essay. I'm doing something else that can't be found in the normal books," Harry answered as he copied something down into his own words from the book.

   Ron was about to ask what Harry was doing but decided against it when Hermione flashed him a mean look that said 'Just leave him alone.' So he kept his mouth shut for once.

   Hermione moved closer to Harry and, without disturbing him, read a few lines from his essay: _'The Cretia can be used to block many spells, one of which is the 'Cruciatus curse'. It does this by creating a shield around the caster, which will deflect on coming attacks. Each Cretia is a different colour depending on the power level of the witch or wizard who creates it.'_

"Why are you learning that?" Hermione asked, sounding a little jealous that she didn't get to learn about the Cretia.

   "I guess I'm learning it because I already know the patronus charm and cause Sirius thought I might need to know it," said Harry.

   "I can see why," said Hermione.

   "Hey, how come you're not mad at her for asking you questions?" said Ron sounding a bit annoyed. 

   "Because Hermione hasn't been asking me a million questions a minute and stopping me from getting my homework done," Harry said, still not looking up.

   Ron threw his hands up in the air. "Fine, I give up!"

   Harry and Hermione simply looked at him and laughed.

   Meanwhile, in Dumbledore's office another discussion was taking place. Dumbledore sat behind his desk, his eyes grave and without their usual twinkle. Sirius, Remus, McGonagall, Snape and the cloaked figure sat in front of his desk waiting for the old wizard to speak.

   "We are going to have to confront the Ministry," Dumbledore answered at last. "Fudge has still refused to believe Voldemort is back. We shall warn him for one last time and after that, that's it."

   "But what if he doesn't listen?" the cloaked figure asked. 

McGonagall and Snape had been told earlier about him so that was why he was now part of this meeting. 

   "Then we will move without the Ministry's consent. We cannot allow people to get hurt because of Fudge's stubbornness," said Dumbledore. 

   "That is easier said then done, Albus. If you oppose the Ministry, they can remove you from the position of Headmaster and everyone here at the school will be put into danger," said Remus. 

   "I am aware of that. However, they will find it very difficult to remove me if they cannot reach the school. I really don't want to have to lock the school away from the outside world, but if I have to I will t protect the students from harm," Dumbledore answered. 

   "Not to mention that if the Ministry did get control of Hogwarts, Harry's life would be made a living hell," Sirius added. 

   "And how do you see that?" asked Snape.

   "He's right, Severus," Dumbledore said quickly before a fight broke out between the two men, "Fudge does not want to believe me that Voldemort has returned and he doesn't want to believe Harry either. He would turned Harry's life upside down and make things very hard for him here. Also he would not be able to protect him properly from Voldemort."

   Dumbledore then sighed, "Now, Sirius, I'd like you to go to the Ministry and tell Fudge that this is his last chance. After that, if he doesn't agree, we will have to go behind his back and inform the rest of the Wizarding world that Voldemort has returned."

   "Why me?" Sirius asked.

   "Because if something happens while you're gone, parents will want to talk to Minerva and Severus. He," Dumbledore said, pointing to the cloaked figure, "Can't go for obvious reasons and Remus can't go because the full moon is coming up. Also he will be able to take over your classes while you're away."

   Sirius nodded, understanding. "Fine," he sulked. 

   "I realize that you don't want to leave Harry right now but I'm sure he will be fine for a few days," Dumbledore said. 

   "Okay," Sirius sighed, "When do I leave?"

   "As soon as possible. The safest time would be tonight after the feast. We don't know what Voldemort s planning or when he is planning to do it so it is better if you try to come back as soon as possible. I will need you all here if something goes wrong."

   They all nodded in agreement. 

***

   "The what charm?" asked Ron, taking another bit out of his chicken leg.

   "The Cretia charm," said Harry, "It's used to block power spells like the _Cruciatus curse_."

   "Ah, I see. So Sirius is having you learn this as part of your advanced lessons and also because you already know the patronus charm?" Ron replied. 

   "Exactly," Harry mashed up his potatoes a little, relieved that Ron finally got it. It had taken awhile for him to understand it though for some odd reason. 

   "Is he going to teach it to us as well?" Hermione asked curiously.

   Harry shook his head. "I don't think so. I think I'm the only one leaning it."

   Hermione pouted. Ron and Harry just laughed at her.

   "Oh, come on Hermione," said Ron. "You can't learn everything."

   Hermione simply ignored him and turned back to her own plate of food, feeling slightly down. 

   Harry sighed. "Hermione, if you want me too, I'll teach it to you once I've figured it out myself, 'Kay?" 

   Hermione smiled then and looked up at him, "Okay."

  "Hermione, you want to know too much," said Ron and so another argument between the two began.

   Harry just rolled his eyes at his friends. Some things would never change, not that Harry ever wanted them too. He was glad that there were at least some things in his life that would remain consistent even if everything else around him kept changing.

   Harry turned to look up at the teacher's table. Dumbledore was chatting quietly with McGonagall, but he wore a grave expression on his face. Snape, he noticed, was also looking odd. His usual sour mood was gone being replaced by a worried one, which surprised Harry greatly. Not only that but Sirius and Remus also seemed worried about something.

   Harry frowned. Had something happened? He could remember only a hand full of times when all the teachers had looked this worried. In his second year with the Chamber of Secrets, in his third year with Sirius and then again at the end of last year.

   "Harry, are you alright?" asked Hermione, gaining his attention.

   Harry smiled at her, "I'm fine." 

   He then turned back to his food and started moving it around a bit with his fork. He wasn't in the mood to eat anymore, not when there was something up that had all the teachers worried. 

   He sighed deeply again. This year was not turning out to be the normal year he had hopped for. 

   That's when he heard it. A low hissing sound that said two single words; _"Exsecros Gravis!" _

Harry gripped the sides of the table and clutched his stomach. He felt very dizzy and sick again. His stomach was threatening to throw up the little food he had just eaten. 

   "Harry?!" 

He could hear Ron and Hermione yell in concern but it was hard for him to think past the pain he felt.  

   Then his scar began to burn painfully on his forehead. It had never hurt this much before. It felt like someone was trying to cut his head open with a knife at his scar.

   A cold wind swept through the Great Hall making all the lights flicker then die. The whole hall went silent until Harry's screams of pain suddenly filled it. 

   A cold, drawling voice filled the hall above Harry's screams. "_You cannot hide from me, Potter. Even at Hogwarts I can still reach you and now, you are mine!"_

   Harry screamed out again then everything went silent. The teachers tried to move to get to Harry and secure the hall, but they found that they couldn't move. They were stuck where they were by some unseen force. 

    "_Did you really think I would have done all this without trapping you and your teachers first, Dumbledore? Really, I thought you were smarter then that,"_ said the voice and then a figure appeared at the entrance to the hall. It lowered its hood and people were far too scared at what they saw to scream or try to run. It was Lord Voldemort. 

   Harry breathed hard and forced his head away from the table to look up at Voldemort. He no longer felt sick but his scar was hurting painfully.

   With all the strength he could muster, Harry slowly got to his feet and turned to face the Dark Lord. Everyone watched Harry closely, especially the teachers, all wondering what he was going to do. 

   "Ah, there you are Harry," said Voldemort. "I was wondering where you had disappeared too. That was very rude of you to just leave like that without even saying Good-bye."

   Harry smiled a little, "Well, excuse me if I have better things to do then to stand around a watch you kill innocent people, Voldemort."

   People all around gasped as Harry said Voldemort's name.

   Voldemort's eyes flared, "Didn't your Godfather ever teach you manners? It's not polite to talk that way to your elders." 

   "You're not worth any manners, Voldemort. You're nothing more then a murderer," Harry replied, his voice cold. 

   "I'm going to enjoy watching you die, Harry. Please send my regards to Lily and James when you see them," Voldemort answered as he raised his wand. "_Avada Kedrava!_"

  The green light burst forth from Voldemort's wand and hurled towards Harry but it just ended up slamming into the shield that was protecting him. Voldemort put more power into the curse, trying to break through. Harry threw his arms up in front of him, trying to prevent the shield from breaking, though it was useless.

   After a few moments, the shield shattered. Everyone thought Harry was a goner, but something happened that they didn't expect. As the green light hit Harry, something happened. Harry began to glow gold, his green eyes now also seemed to glow in the dark room. 

   "_NO!!!"_ Harry yelled and the curse was thrown away from him, smashing into one of the walls leaving a scorch make behind. 

   Harry didn't know how he had just done that, but he had and now he felt that Voldemort needed to be taught a lesson. The golden glow disappeared but his eyes were still glowing that blinding shade of green. 

   Voldemort look at Harry in shock then that shock quickly turned to rage, "You will pay for that, Potter!"

   Harry's eyes flashed as he slowly stepped forward, "Wrong! It is you who will pay, Riddle! _Pertcuo Addflictus!!!_" Harry raised his hand. 

   Voldemort suddenly gripped the sides of his head, screaming out in pain. He withered to the ground as Harry came closer to him. 

   "You've destroyed far too many lives, Riddle! You need to pay for all the people you've hurt. The Blacks, the Longbottoms, Emily, Mundungus, my own parents…and that's not even half of it. There are many more lives that you need to pay for!" Harry yelled.

   Voldemort ignored the pain and looked up at Harry in anger, "I will not allow this **_CHILD_** to defeat me again!_ Cruio!_"

   Harry stopped his attack on Voldemort and simply pushed the curse aside as though it was nothing more then air. The he smiled, "Those curses won't work so easily on me now, Riddle."

   Sirius looked away from Harry as he spoke. That wasn't Harry. He didn't know what that was but it wasn't his Godson. Dumbledore ad warned them of this and they still had plenty of time to try and get this thing inside of Harry under control, but he couldn't stand to hear it now or see it. _'Harry, what's happening to you?'_

   Harry continued to stare down at Voldemort, his bright green eyes taking in every movement he made. Outside, Harry seemed totally in control, but inside, he was in conflict. Part of him was confused about everything that was happening and knew what he was doing was wrong, but the other part was filled with so much rage and anger over everything Voldemort had done to him that it overridden any sense of righteousness. 

   Voldemort slowly got to his feet. His snake like features twisting in pain as he moved. Harry watched him silently.

   Voldemort suddenly laughed, "You are a fool, Potter! You may be powerful now but soon that will change. Dumbledore is hiding something from you, Harry, along with your Godfather and a few others. They're all hiding something from you and very soon, I'll have it within my grasp. Someone else is going to die for you Harry and it'll be all your fault."

   Harry's eyes flared, "_Phoeicurx Levisonus!!!_" 

Harry shot his hand forward and there was a huge eruption of golden light from his hand. It slammed into Voldemort and sent him flying back into the closed oak doors. He crashed into them an exploded into a display of blue dust.

   "_Don't think you've gotten rid of me yet, Potter. The game's only begun._" Voldemort's voice rang throughout the hall.

   The hall was still and silent as the wind died down and the candles flickered back to life. Everyone stayed still, all staring at Harry and in too much shock to do anything else.

   Harry stared blankly as where Voldemort had disappeared. It almost looked like he was just a statue. Then his eyes closed and he collapsed, being caught by Sirius.   

***

**AN: **That's it for now! I know it was short, but I can't do much about that. I'll start having the summary at the beginning of each chapter, adding more on as we go. Please don't forget to review. Thanks!!!


	16. An Ugly Game Of Quidditch

**– Chapter Fifteen  –**

An Ugly Game of Quidditch

   Harry's eyes snapped open, but there was nothing to see. Nothing but a beautiful white mist and it was all around him. He couldn't see anything else. He couldn't even see the ground beneath his feet as he realized he was standing. It almost looked like he was standing on air.

   He walked forward slowly, scanning the area with his eyes. Someone or something was here. He could feel it. He wasn't sure what it was but something inside him wanted badly to find it…whatever _it_ was.

   "Hello!" Harry called out into the mist but he received no answer. "Hello!" he called again but still he didn't receive a response.

   He sighed. He should have known. There was nothing out there. Well, besides him but what he wanted to know was where 'there' was. He hadn't the faintest idea as to where he could be. The last thing he could remember was…

   Harry shook his head. That was the last thing he wanted to think about, but now that he had thought of it the images wouldn't go away.

   "Come on, Harry. Don't think about that now," he told himself firmly but his mind wouldn't listen. The images continued to flash before his eyes: Voldemort, the green light, his anger, and his powers, Voldemort exploding into blue dust…

   "No!" Harry screamed out as he collapsed to his knees. He gripped the sides of his head as everything came crashing down on him: The tournament, the attack at Privet Drive, the attack by the Dementors, his visions with Voldemort, his new powers, all the deaths he has caused…It kept coming and coming. Never stopping, never ending, just wave after wave of horrible memories followed by more and more and more and-

   "Harry?!" a voice said forcefully, breaking through the memories. The tidal wave of memories finally started to subside.

   Harry breathed hard and deep, trying to control himself. That's when he noticed that someone was knelling in front of him and holding his shoulders.

   Harry slowly lowered his hands from the sides of his head and looked up to meet a startling pair of hazel eyes. Harry's eyes opened wide with shock. How could…what?

   The man seemed to sense Harry's conflict and eased back. He then smiled slightly. "Well, nice to see you too."

   Harry opened his mouth to say something but couldn't think of anything intelligent to say so he closed it again. He didn't understand this. How could it be possible? He finally tired to speak again, "D-dad?"

   James Potter smile brightened at his son though concern still shone through his eyes. "Yes, Harry. It's me."

 Harry's brow frowned. "But how-"

   "This is just a dream world, Harry. That's all it is," James said. "I came here because you needed me."

   Harry's eyes tear up and he smiled brightly. His Dad. His father was right in front of him. He could hardly believe his eyes.

   Then Harry did something he had always wanted to do. He leaned forward and hugged James. James wrapped his arms around Harry and held him tightly, not ever wanting to let go.

   Harry cried softly into his father's shoulder. He couldn't believe that his dad was really here. Even if it was only a dream, Harry didn't really care. He was so happy to see his father, but he was also very upset because of everything that had been happening in his life.

   James sensed this and tried his best to comfort his son, "Sssh Harry. It's alright."

   Harry shook his head, "No. It'll never be alright."

   James leaned back slowly and forced Harry to look at him.

"Harry, listen to me," he began, "Everything is not as bad as it seems.  Know that your life isn't the best right now and I know that it really has never been very good, but it could be a lot worst and things will get better."

  Harry nodded softly, wiping his tears away. He wanted to believe his father, but with everything that had been happening he wasn't sure if he could. How could anything ever get any better when Voldemort was still out there and with the way all the students at school had been treating him? It just couldn't, could it?

   "How do you know about my life?" Harry asked softly, looking down. "I mean you've been…dead."

   James chuckled softly. "It doesn't matter whether I'm dead or not, Harry, I still watch you. You're capable of so many things and I know that things will turn out alright in the end."

   Harry shook his head once again. "How can it? I'm too dangerous."

   James frowned, "You're not dangerous, Harry. You're just untrained."

   "I don't think I can be trained," Harry said sadly, thinking back to how his powers had totally taken control of him back in the Great Hall. He hadn't liked what he had become nor did he understand it.

   "Harry-"

   "You saw what I did!" Harry yelled, looking up at James now, "You saw what I'm capable of! Sooner or later someone's going to get hurt." Harry stared back down at his knees.

   James sighed. He took his hand and placed it under Harry's chin forcing him to meet his eyes, "You're far too hard on yourself, Harry. You're not dangerous and I would know because…because I went through the same thing. Well, almost the same thing."

   Harry frowned deeply, "What?"

   James just smiled and moved to sit down properly on the ground. "Do you remember that night you were talking to Sirius and he said that when I got mad, sometimes you couldn't even recognize the room I was in."

   Harry nodded

   "Well, what do you think that was?" James asked.

   "But you were angry," said Harry.

   "Weren't you?" James answered, raising an eyebrow.

   Harry sighed, "Okay, I guess I was angry, but what about after the sorting-"

   "You were trying to help someone," James interrupted. "I used to do that tons of times. Marauders, remember. There were many times I would end up bailing us out of trouble, especially Sirius. That man has never been able to keep himself out of trouble. Even now that he's supposedly a adult."

   Harry chuckled, knowing exactly how right his father was, thinking back to how McGonagall had chased Sirius around the school. But then something crossed his mind. "But dad, if you have the same powers I have, why didn't you use them when Voldemort attacked us?"

   James frowned and his eyes darkened. Harry instantly regretted bringing it up. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean-"

   "No, it's okay. You deserve to hear this," James answered sadly.

   He sighed deeply. "First off Harry, my powers aren't exactly like yours. Yours are slightly different and much more powerful, but then again you had Lily and I as parents so that would make sense."

   Harry watched his father closely. He wished he hadn't brought the subject up. James was having a really hard time trying to get the words out.

   James continued, "When Lily became…pregnant with you, Harry, something happened to me. My powers somehow became linked to you so that if anything happened to you, my powers would somehow protect you. It protected Lily from many small things when she was pregnant.

   "We only really found out what was going on after you were born," James said. "Little funny thing would happen to you. I remember one time Pet…" He paused for a second to control his anger, "P-peter dropped you and instead of falling to the ground you just slowly floated down. Lily almost had a heart-attack from that one."

   "Well, how did you find out it was your powers? It could have been mine," Harry said.

   James shook his head, "No, they were mine. I could tell. I used to get very tired fairly quickly and I almost always felt drained," he sighed, "Anyway, the night Voldemort came, I knew something was wrong. My powers had been running high all day because of how tense I was. When I realized what was happening, I told Lily to take you and go, but I had a feeling she wasn't going to make it out," he chuckled sadly, "And I was right, wasn't I?"

   Harry stayed silent, not knowing what he could say or do to make his father feel better. He had seen what had happened in his vision, but more then that, he really knew nothing.

   A few more moments passed and James continued, his voice much heavier and darker, "Voldemort entered the house. I had watched Lily try to get out the back then run up the stairs with you when she couldn't get out so I stood guard at the bottom of the stairwell." He looked up at Harry sadly. "I wasn't able to use my powers to stop Voldemort, Harry, because they were all focused on you."

  Harry sat in stunned silence for a few moments thinking over what his father had told him. James' powers had been focused around _him._ Did that mean that his father's death had been his fault? If James hadn't had his powers focused around him then maybe his father could have lived.

   James seemed to sense what Harry was thinking about and frowned deeply. "Don't start blaming yourself for what happened to me and your mother, Harry, because it was **_not_** your fault. You understand me?"

   Harry nodded. His father was right, but he still felt horrible able the whole thing.

   Harry looked back down at the ground and sighed sadly, "You blame yourself for mum's death, don't you?"

   James was taken aback by the question, but he then sighed. "Yes," he said softly. "I do."

   Harry looked up at James, "But you still get to be with her, right? I mean you're both…dead."

   Something flickered within James' eyes. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair, looking away from Harry for a moment. "It's…complicated, Harry."

   "What do you mean?" Harry asked.

   "That's just it," James answered. "I don't know."

   Harry frowned in confusion. "But…you're still with her, right?"

   James shook his head sadly, "No Harry, I'm not and before you go asking why, I don't know. The situation is far too complicated and you have your own problems to worry about so please just don't ask."

   Harry nodded. He wished he had never brought it up. It seemed to pain his father greatly just thinking about his mother. Harry wished he could have known her, but life was full of unfulfilled wishes and dreams.

   James shook his head to clear his thoughts, "Harry, there's something I need to tell you. Dumbledore isn't sure if you're ready to hear this, but I think you are and you have a right to know."

   Harry nodded and waited patiently.

   "There was a few reasons why Voldemort wanted you and me dead. Some reasons I'm not allowed to say, but the one I need to tell you is this: Voldemort, as you know, is the heir of Slytherin. Now for thousands of years, Slytherin and Gryffindor have always fought. Voldemort attacked us because he was trying to end that conflict once and for all."

  Harry's eyes opened wide and understanding. "What?"

   James smiled, "You are the last remaining heir of Gryffindor Harry."

   "But how-"

   "Remember in your second year when you pulled Godric's sword out of the sorting-hat and Dumbledore said that it would take a true Gryffindor to pull that out of the hat?" James said.

   "Yes."

   "Well, what he meant was it would take a true heir of Gryffindor to pull that out of the hat."

   Harry sat in silence for a moment trying to digest everything he had heard. He was the last remaining heir of Gryffindor. It was too unbelievable to believe. Out of all the Gryffindors that have gone through Hogwarts, he was the heir.

   Who else knew? Harry knew Dumbledore knew and that was just one more thing to be mad at the old wizard for. Dumbledore hardly ever told him anything anymore it seemed, but who else besides Dumbledore knew? Professor McGonagall? Remus? Sirius even?

   James watched his son trying to handle this. It was hard to just watch, but else could he do.

"Harry," he began, "You have to go back now. There are a lot of people who are worried about you."

   Harry looked up at his father sharply, "But I don't want to leave."

   James sighed and pulled Harry into a hug, "I know Harry, but you have too. Your friends are worried about you and so is Remus and Sirius."

   Harry pulled back, "Will I ever see you again?"

   James smiled, "I think it's a safe bet to say that you can count on it."

   Harry smiled brightly then as his father began to disappear.

   Harry slowly opened his eyes. Everything was dark and blurry, but he didn't need his eyes to tell him where he was. The lumpy bed and the smell of medicine gave it away. He was in the hospital wing.

   "Harry?" said a voice that Harry's mind registered as being Remus. Harry turned his head to see the blurry outline of his History of Magic Professor leaning over him.

   Remus handed Harry his glasses, which he put on and the world came into focus. Looking out the windows, Harry noticed that it was nighttime. He slowly pulled himself into a sitting position and turned to face Remus.

   "What happened?" Harry asked.

   Remus sighed, "A lots happened, Harry. Do your remember?"

   Harry stared down at the sheets sadly, "Yes."

   Remus nodded, "Quite a few things have happened since then, Harry. You've been unconscious for nearly two weeks."

   "Figures," Harry mumbled. He slowly looked around the room again until his eyes landed on the slumped form of Sirius, who was currently asleep in a chair beside Harry's bed.

   Harry smiled slightly at the sight, "How long has he been here?"

   Remus glanced over at Sirius and chuckled, "Oh, he's barely left your side. The first few days you were in here, he was away at the Ministry, but since he's been back he's only left your side to teach."

   Harry looked over at Remus sharply, "Why did Sirius have to go to the Ministry?"

   "To rely Dumbledore's message. Sirius has a good way of frightening people into listen to him so, of course, he was the best for the job," Remus smiled.

   Harry laughed slightly, imagining Sirius towering over Fudge, "Did it work?"

   Remus sighed, "Unfortunately, no. Fudge still doesn't want to believe you or Dumbledore. I guess he didn't really listen to Dumbledore's warning."

   "So, what's Dumbledore going to do about it?" Harry asked.

   Remus chuckled, "He's going to do what Fudge should be doing, which is inform the magical community of Voldemort's return."

   Harry nodded. He hoped that people would be bettered prepared if they knew. He was sick and tired of watching people die.

   _'Everything's not as bad as it seems. Things will get better,'_ The voice rang through Harry's head. _'Dad,'_ he thought sadly.

   "So," Harry began slowly, decided that he wouldn't say that he has seen his father, "Is that all I missed?"

   Remus just laughed.

   It was another week before Harry was let out of the Hospital wing and was he ever glad to get out. He didn't think he could stand another minute of the place.

   People were all treating him much differently now, even the professors, save the ones who knew about his new powers. Most people seemed afraid of him, even some of the Gryffindors, but the Gryffindors who knew Harry better were amazed and after congratulating him on kicking Voldemort's butt went back to treating him as they normally would.

   Harry had missed more then he had thought. The Gryffindor team had had their tryouts already just to get them done and out of the way, but had decided not to make a final decision on the choices until Harry had come back. He was the captain after all. So instead they had just written down the results for him to review and Ron had magically taped the whole thing for Harry to view later.

   "I've missed way too much," Harry muttered, scribbling down some more notes on the effects of the Conglaburous potion as he munched on some toast.

   It was Friday morning, the day before the first Quidditch match of the season and Harry was attempting to finish his potions homework; Snape was going to kill him.

   Since he had gotten let out of the Hospital wing, Harry had been juggling his homework, classes and Quidditch practice. The new team had been practicing every day since Harry had been detained so late and he still wasn't sure whether they were ready or not. Not only that but he had a mountain worth of homework to do and he was having a lot of trouble trying to get it all done and caught up.

   "Don't worry about it too much, Harry. I'm sure it won't take you too long to get caught up," said Hermione, looking over one of her books.

   "It's not as easy as it seems, Hermione. Not only do I have work from my normal classes, but I also have work from my extra courses. The work I've been given from those classes is harder then this stuff," Harry said, holding up his potion's book, "And it takes a lot longer to get done."

   Ron took a bite out of his apple, "Do you think we'll win tomorrow?"

   Harry laughed at Ron's abrupt change in topic, "Ron, you'll do fine. Stop worrying about it."

   He shook his head. After looking over the results from the Quidditch tryout, the team had decided that Ron was the best choice for keeper and, much to Harry's and few others's dismay, Colin Creevy was chosen for chaser. To bad Ron wouldn't stop worrying about tomorrow's match.

   "You really think so?" Ron asked.

   Both Hermione and Harry rolled their eyes at him.

"Yes!" they chimed.

Ron smiled sheepishly.

   "Oh," Hermione suddenly said, waving her hands around in excitement as she let her book flop on the table, "We forgot to tell you. Sirius found a better reference of the patronus so he had us do our essays over, including the new information. We have to hand them in today."

   "Also we've been practicing the patronus and Sirius has been testing us on it. A few of us still have to go. I didn't do so well," said Ron sadly.

   "Oh come one," Hermione whined. "You were at least able to make a mist, which is better then most people."

   Harry smiled, "Have you gone yet, Hermione?"

   Hermione shook her head. "No. I'll be going today for sure though," she then glanced down at her magical watch. "We better get going."

   Harry sighed, "Well, at least we have Defence before Potions."

   After Harry had packed away all his books, the trio left for Sirius' class. 

   "Could everyone please have their essays out on their desks, then I'll come round and collect them," Sirius said as he entered the classroom.

   Everyone immediately pulled out their essays, even Harry who had luckily finished his when he had been stuck in the Hospital wing. Most people's essays were about two rolls of parchment, except for Hermione and Harry's. Hermione's was nearly five rolls long but Harry beat her with eight.

   Ron and Hermione stared at Harry's essay in shock. Not only was his essay eight rolls of parchment long, but also the writing was very small and neat.

   "Harry. How on Earth did you write all that?" Ron asked.

   Harry just stared down at his essay and shrugged. "To tell you the truth, I don't really know. I just started writing. It was original twelve rolls long, but I was able to cut it down.'

   Both Hermione and Ron stared at Harry dumfounded, but didn't say anything more about it as Sirius came round to collect the essays. He didn't even bat an eye at the length of Harry's essay. He just picked it up and went on.

   After all the essays had been collected, Sirius placed them neatly on his desk and then pulled up the box, which held the Bogart.

   "Okay," Sirius began, "I'd like to get this patronus out of the way so that we can continue on with the Grizzlyfide, that three horns creature we were discussing the other day, but I will be testing you all periodically on the patronus throughout the year."

   He then moved behind the box, "So, those of you that haven't gone, line up in front of my desk and I want the rest of you to stand back."

    It's didn't take the class long to do as they had been told. Sirius motioned for Harry to come stand by him and when Harry gave him a questioning look, Sirius merely said, "It's a lot easier to keep the Bogart in the form of a Dementor when you're helping."

   Hermione stood ready in front of the box.

   "Is everyone ready?" Sirius asked. The class nodded, "Okay, Hermione. Go!"

   He grasped the lid and pulled it straight off.

   The light's flickered and died as a wave of cold swept through the room. Harry held his breath as the Dementor rose out of the box and turned to face Hermione. Luckily she was far enough away so that the Bogart wouldn't change shape.

_   "Expecto Patronum!"  _Hermione shouted and a silver mist appeared in front of her. The Dementor couldn't pass it.

   It stayed like that for a few moments. Harry noticed that Hermione was having trouble holding the mist in place. Finally Sirius jumped forward and shouted, _"Riddikulus!" _

   Once the Bogart was back in the box, Sirius made sure everyone was all right. Harry leaned heavy against the desk. He hated Dementors.

   It was another fifty minutes before everyone finished and by then, everyone was exhausted. The best anyone had been able to do against the Dementor was to make a little mist.

   "Great," said Sirius, closing the lid on the box again, "Most of you are now able to make at least an indistinct patronus. With time and practice, you'll be able to make a distinct one.

   "Now, as most of you are now dead on your feet," Sirius chuckled a bit as he gazed around the class to see everyone sprawled against their desks for support, "I'll let you go a few minutes early, but don't go disturbing the other classes. Dismissed."

   The class slowly trudged their way out of the class.

   "Coming Harry?" Hermione said, when she saw that Harry hadn't moved.

   "No, I get to have one of my extra classes now," Harry answered. He had his head down on top of his folded arms, which were resting on his desk.

   "Oh, so that's why you're always twenty minutes late for Potions and Snape never yells at you," Ron said.

   Harry playfully gave Ron a swat as he and Hermione headed out of the class. After they had left, Harry dragged his butt out of his chair and joined Sirius at the front of the class. His Godfather was currently storing the Bogart box under his desk and cleaning some papers away.

   "Need any help?" Harry asked.

   "No, I'm fine, but you could push some of those desks back a bit. We're going to need a lot of room for you to perform that charm," Sirius said, opening one of his drawers and shoving some papers into it.

   Harry sighed as he turned towards the desks "Great. First you exhausted me, then you get me to push furniture around and then you expect me to perform that charm which drains my energy enough as it is, might I add."

   Sirius merely looked at him and laughed, "Hey, you offered to help. It's not my fault that you decided to tier yourself out even more. I was going to let you just sit at your desk and rest, but hey, it's your fault and you can't back out of it now," he added at the end when Harry turned around and opened his mouth to say something.

   Harry grumbled as he started shoving desks back. "Just don't hurt me too much," Harry grunted. "I've already seen far too much of the Hospital wing this year then I would have liked and I'd prefer not to have to go back there for a while yet."

   Sirius chuckled. "I promise I won't hurt you…_too_ much."

   Harry rolled his eyes, "Since when have I ever been able to trust 'that' voice?"

   After a few more minutes of pushing around desks and bickering, both Sirius and Harry were ready. They faced each other in the middle of the class, their wands ready.

   "Ready?" Sirius asked, a smile spreading across his face.

   Harry grumbled, "As ready as I can be with you having _that_ look."

   Sirius laughed slightly then he turned serious, "Now, remember what I said. If you can't block the curse, I'm taking it off right away. I don't want you getting hurt," Sirius warned.

   Harry nodded, "I know. Besides, since you don't want to hurt me, shouldn't it maybe only give me a nose bleed?"

   Sirius shrugged, "Maybe, but you never now. I'm just warning you."

   Harry sighed, "Alright then."

   Sirius nodded, "Okay, _Crutio!"_

   _"Adripere Cretio!"_ Harry shouted and a silver shield appeared in front of him. The curse hit it and the shield rippled then shattered. Harry only felt the pain from the curse for a split second before Sirius pulled it off, but it hadn't even hurt nearly as much as when Voldemort had done it one him.

   "You alright Harry?" Sirius asked.

   "Ya, I'm fine," Harry answered, whipping his forehead with the sleeve of his robe.

   Sirius looked doubtful. "Okay, we're only going to try this one more time today before we call it quits. I don't want to expose you to that curse too much and you're exhausted."

   Harry nodded.

   "Okay, get ready," Sirius said, _"Crutio!"_

_   "Adripere Cretio!!!"_ 

   Harry woke up earlier then he would have liked the next morning though he wasn't at all surprised. He was excited about the Quidditch match and had a hard time falling asleep in the first place. The only thing that had him disappointed was what had happened yesterday with his Cretia.

   It hadn't gone the way he would have liked. He still couldn't get it. Sirius had said that it would take practice and he understood that, but it was just frustrating him to no end. It reminded him of what it had been like when Remus had been trying to teach him the patronus in his third year.

   Harry sighed, rolled over and tried to fall back asleep but it was difficult now that he was already wide-awake.

    "Dammit!" Harry muttered in frustration, finally giving up on sleep all together. So he just got up quietly, dressed, picked up his Lightenbolt and walked silently out of dormitory.

   It was a little on the cool side in the common room since the fire had long since gone out. Not that Harry minded too much. He was use to the cold having lived with the Dursleys all those years in a cupboard with very little clothing or blankets. 

   Not wanting to dwell too much on those memories, Harry slowly made his way through the portrait hole and headed for the Great Hall. It was early in the morning, but he did pass a few teachers and students along the way, some nodding in greeting at him and others giving him curious stares. He ignored those ones and continued on his way.

   By the time the Great Hall really started to begin to fill with people, Harry had already eaten a full plate of pancakes and was just starting on some bacon.

   "Oh, I've never been this nervous for anything before," said Ron as he took a seat beside Harry.

   Harry just turned to him a smiled as he swallowed some bacon, "Ron, you just need to relax. Just play like you did in the practices and you'll do fine."

   "Oh, is little Ronnykins scared?" Fred teased as he a George sat down near them.

   "Don't worry too much about it, bro. You'll do fine," George added, "Course we can't always vouch that the Slytherins will go easy on you. They could decided that you need a new face and send a Bludger your way-"

   "And you'll stop it," Harry said, giving both Fred and George a stern look as he did so. Ron was nervous enough as it was; he really didn't need him getting frightened to top it off.

   "I'll bet it'll be raining and there'll be thunder and lighten and stuff," Ron said slowly, taking a bit out of his toast but Harry noticed his hand was shacking slightly.

   But Ron was definitely wrong. When everyone started heading down towards the pitch, the weather was a bit chilly and it was certainly windy and overcast, but there wasn't any lightning and there wasn't any rain. Harry didn't think they'd have too much problem in this weather as he entered the change rooms.

   The team changed into their scarlet robes and waited for Harry to start his pre-match pep talk.

   "Okay guys," Harry began. "I'm not Wood-"

   "Thank heavens for that!" Fred shouted.

   "But I still know that we can win this. We've trained hard and have some great new players so we deserve to win. Now lets get on out there and show those nasty Slytherins what it means to be a Gryffindor!" Harry finished.   

   "Yeah!!!" they all shouted and headed out of the change rooms.

   They walked out onto the pitch to the sound of ¾ of the school cheering for them. The Slytherin team, dressed in their ugly green and silver robes, were standing smugly in the middle of the pitch. They looked as mean as ever.

   A cloaked figure stood in the back of the stands high above the pitch and watched cheerfully as Harry shook hands with the Slytherin captain and took flight. He couldn't wait to see Harry in action.

   "And they're off, Gryffindor in possession, Angelina Johnson of Gryffindor heading for the goal…"

   Harry watched the game from high above, keeping an eye out for the snitch. He could already tell that this game was going to get really ugly. The Slytherins were really bashing it up. They were hitting the Gryffindor team hard and in any way that they could. Soon they were in the lead.

   "Oh, another miss for Gryffindor. Slytherin leads forty to thirty!"

   _'Great, just what we need,'_ Harry thought to himself grimly.

The massive crowds below him screamed and cheered as the match went on, making it hard for Harry to make out the commentary. Bludgers were whipping past him, just barely missing him sometimes, but still he kept his eyes out for the snitch. If only it would appear. The players below him were all moving so quickly that Harry could hardly see what was happening anymore. All he saw now were blurs of green and red.

   Finally, Harry spotted it. The little speck of gold that was hovering over by the Slytherin goal post as though it had been trying to hid.

   Harry then spared a glance over towards Malfoy, making sure the weasel hadn't seen it yet. Malfoy was just a few feet below him, watching his every move ready to make a move if Harry saw the snitch.

   Harry laughed to himself. _'If that's the way you want to do it Malfoy, then prepare yourself for the consequences.'_

   Harry sped off, away from the snitch, towards the Gryffindor side of the pitch. Malfoy quickly followed. The players whipped past Harry, but he was able to avoid then easy with his new Lightenbolt. He glanced quickly back at Malfoy to see that he was having a hard time keeping up and was frantically searching around for the snitch. _'Better lose him before he realizes that I'm not chasing it.'_

With a slight movement, Harry started to plummet down to the ground, Malfoy close at his heel.

   Malfoy came up beside Harry and started shoving him. Then he grinned at Harry. "Having fun, Scarhead?"

   Harry threw a nasty look Malfoy's way then concentrated on the ground that was quickly coming up towards them. Malfoy wasn't paying all that much attention to it.

   The cloaked figure held his breath as Harry and Malfoy plummet towards the ground. He had seen Harry pull this move on Sirius, but Sirius hadn't been trying to knock Harry off his broom. _'Come on, Harry, Come on.'_

   The ground was so close now. _'Three…Two…ONE!!!'_ Harry pulled out of the dive and bolted his way towards the Slytherin end of the pitch, glad to see that the snitch was still there. He lay flat on his stomach to gain speed, not bothering to see whether or not Malfoy had been able to pull out of the dive safely. He really did not care.

   Harry could faintly hear the crowds screaming in the background, but the wind drowned most of it out as he whipped past. His scarlet robes whipped around behind him and clung to his body tightly as he went, but he ignored it. His eyes stayed focused on the snitch.

   The snitch seemed to sense that it was being chased and sped off quickly, trying to avoid him but to no avail. Harry was just far too fast on his Lightenbolt for it to out run him.

   "HARRY, LOOKOUT!!!" Harry whipped his head around at Fred's voice, but it was too late. A Bludger crashed into Harry's shoulder, almost knocking him off his broom. He bit his lip as the pain hit him. The Bludger had successfully dislocated his shoulder. His arm now lay lifeless at his side. Pain shot up his arm as he grasped it and pulled it across his chest.

   He quickly scanned ahead of him, ignoring the pain to search for the snitch. He found it, a few meters ahead of him, moving away fast. He quickly sped off after it. It wasn't too hard for him to catch up.

   The snitch was directly in front of him now, moving around madly as though it knew it was about to be caught. Harry quickly stretched out his good arm, trying to get a hold of it without falling off his broom.

   _'Just a bit closer…'_ and he head it. His fingers wrapped around the frantically moving snitch, it's wings beating fast against his hand.

   Madame Hooch blew the whistle and shouted, "Gryffindor Wins!!!"

  The cloaked figure smiled as Harry waved the snitch around and the crowd broke out into massive cheers. He was concerned about Harry's shoulder, but Madame Pomfrey would deal with that. _'Way to go, Harry,'_ he thought as he disappeared.

   Harry slowed the broom down and stopped in midair, sighing deeply but the winched in pain. Madame Pomfrey was not going to be very happy with him once she saw this.

   "Hey! Potter!" Harry whipped his head to the right just in time to see a greenish blur before it crashed headlong into him, knocking him clear off his broom.

   It felt like an eternity before Harry finally hit the ground, though he wished he hadn't for he had landed hard on his dislocated shoulder. He screamed out in pain and tried to see what was happening around him, but it hurt too much to do anything but stay still.

   Everything had happened so fast that he wasn't quite sure what had happened. He could just barely hear the sound of his own name being called frantically and he felt someone lift him gently from the ground but it hurt too much to pay attention. Not to mention that his head now felt like it was being split in half.

   He opened his eyes slowly just in time to see Sirius, Dumbledore and a few others crowded around him before he blanked out.

   "This boy can never seem to stay out of trouble, can he?"

   "It wasn't really his fault Madame Pomfrey-"

   "Malfoy hit him."

   "Well the Slytherins lost points for that and Malfoy is getting a few dozen detentions-"

   "Detentions! He should get EXSPELLED!!!"

   Harry could hear the voices, but his mind was still moving too slow for him to understand them. He didn't even know where he was or how he had gotten there? All he did know was that his arm felt like it was on fire and his head felt like it had tiny little knives being pushed slowly into it.

   "I still can't understand why Malfoy would do that. He's never hurt Harry this badly in a Quidditch match before and besides the game was already over-"

   "Hermione, this is Malfoy we're talking about. Why does that creep have a reason to do anything?"

   Quidditch…Malfoy…Harry's eyes snapped open.

   He was lying on a bed in the Hospital wing…again with the whole Gryffindor team, Hermione and Sirius standing around him.

   "Harry?" Sirius asked worryingly, having seen his Godson open his eyes.

   Harry slowly smiled at him, "Hi."

   Everyone breathed a sigh in relief.

   "Harry, you have really got to stop scaring us like that. We thought you had died," said Ron.

   "It'll take a bit more then falling off my broom to kill me, Ron, don't worry," said Harry as he slowly pulled himself into a sitting position with Sirius's help. His arm still ached but he knew someone had banged it back into place since he could move it now…painfully.

   Harry turned and watched everyone closely, "What was that about Malfoy?"

   "Oh, he's getting a few dozen detentions for knocking you clear off your broom after the game had already ended, but personally I think he should get kicked out of school," Ron answered glumly, crossing his arms across his chest and frowning.

   "But nobody asked you," Hermione added.

   Everyone snickered as Ron scowled even more.

   "Fine, be that way," he said as he turned and headed for the door.

   "Hey Ron?" Harry called after him. Ron turned back. "Great playing," Harry said with a smile.

   Ron smiled back and silently left the wing.                


	17. The Rebirth of the Duelling Club

**AN:** Yeah, here the next two chapters. I've been working very hard to get these things out to you guys. Sorry they couldn't be out sooner. Hope you enjoy them and I'm too busy right now to write out what's happened, so just read it over from the last chapter. Talk to you guys when I get the next chapters out and don't forget to review!!!

**– Chapter Sixteen  –**

The Rebirth of the Duelling Club

   The days after the Quidditch match were nothing but a bore for Harry. Madame Pomfrey insisted on keeping him in the hospital wing for the rest of the weekend because of his concussion. He tried to tell her that he was fine, but she wouldn't hear of it.

   It was such a relief to return to the hustle and bustle of the school on Monday. He had seen far too much of the Hospital wing this year already to want to go back there anytime soon.

   So, it seemed, he had a pretty normal day…well as normal as things got at Hogwarts anyways. In Defence, Sirius taught them how to fight a river troll; a very big ugly pink creature that would kill anything that came near the river in which they lived. Potions class wasn't all that great, but when was it ever. Snape was piling more work on them then ever and Malfoy didn't let up on Harry, Ron and Hermione all period.

   The best thing of all though, was the Duelling Club. At seven o'clock that night, the fourth and fifth years headed down to the Great Hall for the first duelling club meeting since Harry's second year.

   Harry, Ron, and Hermione entered the Great Hall that night to see that all the tables had been pushed aside and stacked against the walls.

   "I wonder what we'll be doing?" Harry asked, eyeing the mats he saw placed out all over the floor of the Great Hall. 

   "Who knows?" said Ron, looking a little worried.

   "Oh come on you guys. Sirius won't do anything that will hurt us, so stop worrying," said Hermione.

   "I'm not worried," said Harry truthfully, "I'm just wondering what we'll be doing."

   After a few more minutes, Sirius called for everyone's attention. "Okay, the first thing I'd like top say is that this Duelling Club **will** be better then your last. Lockhart, I am sorry to say, did not have a clue what he was doing."

Most people snickered upon hearing that remark.

   Sirius smiled. "Now first thing we're going to do is to try and summon your magical swords. If they are loyal to you then it should come right away. Now since I don't own my own magical sword, Professor Lupin has offered to show you how to do so," he said, gesturing towards Remus who just smiled at everyone.

   Harry, Ron, and Hermione all grinned at each other.

   "Now," Remus began, stepping forward. "There are two ways to summon your magical sword. If you have bought your own sword, then you will have to use a different summon than if you inherited it. For those of you who have bought it, the incantation is '_Aurilurs Lucifera_'.

   "If you have inherited your sword, like I have, the incantation is '_Heres Luciferum_'. But the incantations won't do it alone. You have to be concentrating on your sword, picturing it in your mind otherwise it won't work. Like this…_Heres Luciferum,_" And a beautiful sword with engraved symbols in it appeared in his hands.

   Everyone gasped.

   "Wicked!" Ron exclaimed, his eyes lighting up.

   Lupin smiled fondly. "Alright, now all of you try. Remember to use the correct incantation."

   Everyone then attempted it, but none succeeded the first time.

   Harry stopped for a moment, not quite sure which incantation to use. Dumbledore had given him the sword so he really hadn't inherited it but then again his Father had said that he was the last remaining heir of Gryffindor, which meant that the sword was rightfully his.

   Sirius and Remus watched Harry closely. He was the only one who wasn't trying to summon his sword. He seemed to be debating something. _'Come on Harry. Just try it,'_ Sirius thought to himself.

   Finally Harry decided. _'If I really am the heir of Gryffindor then the heir summon should work.'_

   He held his hands out in front of him. Unknown to him, but known to everyone else in the room, Harry had started to glow a faint gold and his eyes were now a bright green.

   "_Heres Luciferum,'_ he whispered softly and the golden glow intensified. When the glow finally died down, Godric Gryffindor's sword lay in his hands.

   Harry smiled, but noticed that people were now staring at him nervously. _'Umm, that's not good,'_ he thought to himself.

   "Harry, how-"

   "Don't even ask," Harry interrupted Hermione quickly, "cause I don't know." He stared down at the sword. How had he done it?

   "Come on everyone! Keep trying until you get it," Sirius said quickly gaining everyone's attention. Harry smiled at him gratefully and Sirius returned it.

   Ron just stared at Harry for a moment then he looked down at Harry's sword. The thing was really quite beautiful and it looked really expensive. He wondered where Harry had got it. Then something on the blade caught his attention. It was a name. _Godric Gryffindor_ it read.

   Ron's eyes opened wide. "Dear God Harry!" he exclaimed and Harry gave him a sharp look, "How on Earth did you get Godric Gryffindor's sword?"

   "What!?" Malfoy shouted, coming up towards the trio. Harry shot Ron an even darker glare and mouthed, "Thanks a lot." Ron stared down at the ground apologetically. Everyone in the Great Hall was now staring at Harry again after hearing Ron's exclamation.

   Malfoy came up in front of Harry and stared down at his sword. Godric Gryffindor's name was in plain sight.

   Malfoy scowled. "That can't be Godric Gryffindor's sword. It's probably a fake," he rushed forward quickly and tried to take it away from Harry, but as soon as he touched it he screamed out in pain and pulled his hands away. In the split second that Malfoy had had his hands on the sword, Harry's eyes had glowed bright green.

   "I wouldn't try that again if I were you, Mr Malfoy," said Dumbledore who had just entered the Hall; "Some of the more powerful swords have spells and enchantments on them that will only allow certain people to touch them."

   Malfoy scowled deeply cradling his hands.

   "That should teach you not to touch things that don't belong to you, Malfoy," said Harry, his eyes cold.

   Malfoy gave Harry a death glare then stocked off, not wanting to get into a fight under Dumbledore's watchful eye.

   As Harry watched him go he noticed that many people were still looking at him nervously, but he did his best to ignore it.

   After a few more minutes, those who hadn't been able to summon their swords had to quickly go up to their dormitories to get them. Only a handful of people had been able to summon their own sword.

   After everyone had returned, Sirius called their attention again, "Now that we all have our swords, Professor Lupin and I are going to show you a few basic movements and blocks to start with. At the end of tonight's lesson, we're both going to test you all just to see how much you have picked up. Not to worry, we'll go easy and it's only to see what you have learned."

   They then spent the next three hours going over movements, mostly blocks and some attacks. Harry felt strange the whole time. Each new move they learned felt like he had already known it but he had just never remembered them until now. It didn't take him long to get the motions down. They all seemed to come naturally to him.

   Of course they didn't come so naturally to others. Neville kept tripping over his feet and dropping his sword. Others, like Ron, kept accidentally cutting themselves.

   It was nearly ten o'clock by the time Sirius and Remus started testing everyone. Many did not far so well. They first had to fight Remus and if they beat him, then they would have to face Sirius. Of course, people underestimated Remus because he always looked so ill, but they paid dearly for that.

   Remus was quite skilled with his blade and was very hard to beat, even with him going easy. So far, no one had beaten him yet and Sirius just sat off to the side, twiddling his thumbs and fooling around with his Muggle sword.

   Ron came to sit by Harry and Hermione, winching in pain as he did so. Both Harry and Hermione looked at him in pity. He hadn't faired so well.

  "I'd like to see you two do better," Ron said after a moment when the pitied looks had turned to ones of laughter. "He's far too good."

   Harry smiled. "Did you expect anything less?"

   Ron sighed. "He didn't look like he could fight that well. He looks like one good hex would finish him off."

   "Well, of course he does, but that doesn't mean much in his case, now does it?" said Hermione.

   "Well, I just thought that…okay maybe you're right," Ron sighed.

   Harry watched as Malfoy was called forward to fight Remus. He had an awful smirk on his face and Harry knew right away that he too underestimated Remus. The smirk also told Harry that Malfoy was up to something. Whatever it was, Harry didn't have a good feeling about it.

   _'Watch him, Remus,'_ he thought.

   The battle seemed to move slowly before Harry's eyes and he wasn't sure why. A block or an attack seemed to take a bit to play out but Harry knew they couldn't possibly be fighting that slowly.

   Finally Harry caught something. Malfoy was reaching for his wand and Remus didn't even notice it. Malfoy could hurt him badly.

   _'No!'_ Harry shot his hand forward. "_Expelliarmus!" _he shouted.

   Malfoy's want came flying towards him. Malfoy was distracted by it and Remus was able to disarm him.

   Malfoy turned to Harry, red in the face. "What did you do that for, Potter!? You distracted me!" Malfoy sneered.

   Harry stood and chucked Malfoy's wand back towards him. "You were going to use magic, Malfoy. I watched you reach for your wand."

   Malfoy scowled. "I did no such thing!"

   "That's enough, Mr. Malfoy," Remus stated calmly.

   Malfoy gave one last scowl at Harry before picking up his sword and going back to sit with the Slytherins.

   Harry sat down beside Ron and Hermione, both of which were looking at him questionably.

   "What?" he asked, puzzled.

   "Harry, how did you see that? They were moving too fast," said Hermione.

   "I don't know," Harry answered. "I just did."

   Hermione and Ron exchanged looks. It seemed to them that Harry didn't know a lot about what he was doing lately. Was he hiding it from them or did he truly not know?

   "Harry?" Sirius called, gaining Harry's attention. "You're up."

   Harry sighed and grabbed his sword.

   "Have fun getting your butt kicked," said Ron as Harry stood.

   Harry raised an eyebrow at him. "Thanks for your vote of confidence."

   "Any time."

   Harry shook his head and moved forward to stand in front of Remus. He felt sort of strange standing there with a sword in his hands waiting for Remus to start. It all felt…familiar somehow.

   "Ready?" Remus asked.

   Harry nodded. Then Remus attacked. Harry blocked it easily. As the moves came, Harry felt like Remus was moving in slow motion. Harry seemed to know exactly what he was going to do and was easily able to come up with a counter-attack.

   Remus had expected this from Harry and sped up his movements, making his attacks faster and more difficult to block.

   The two swords clashed and sparks flew. Harry felt like something had taken him over, something that knew exactly what to do and how to attack Remus.

   Remus whipped around with his sword but again Harry blocked it. Remus was finding it harder and harder to keep up with him.

   Harry watched Remus' every move. Their swords clashed once again, but Remus was a bit off balance now and Harry knew it. Taken advantage of his weakened state, Harry shoved his sword against Remus', causing Remus to drop his sword and fall over. He sat panting on the ground.

   Harry stared down at him in surprise. He had won. It was then that he noticed how everyone was staring at him again. _'Oh Geez, why are they all so interested in me?'_ he thought glumly.

   "Well done, Harry," Remus said as he got to his feet. He had been expecting Harry to beat him and would have been thoroughly surprised had he been unable too, "I think Sirius is pleased that someone final beat me. He looks a little bored, don't you think?"

   Harry glanced over at Sirius only to laugh hysterically. Sirius was trying to throw his sword off of his feet and catch it. It wasn't as easy as it looked.

   Remus smiled diligently at his friend. "Come on, Sirius. Your turn."

   "About time," said Sirius, hoping off the table he had been sitting on in the corner and smiling at Harry as he approached.

   As soon as the fight began Harry noticed that Sirius was a much better swordsman then Remus, which of course would make him much more difficult to beat. Harry just followed his instinct as the attacks came. Sirius was moving fast, Harry knew, but it still seemed to him that he was moving much slower then he should be.

   Sirius whipped his sword forward forcing Harry to jump over the blade and many people around the room gasped. Harry then brought his sword forward and their swords clashed.

   Sirius threw Harry's sword off and brought his sword down, but Harry dodged it. The fight seemed to stretch on forever. Students from the other years had started to come into the Great Hall to watch, as did a lot of the teachers. Both Dumbledore and Remus were watching Harry very closely as he and Sirius fought.

   Finally Harry pulled a move on Sirius by locking Sirius's sword behind his own while his sword rested on the back of his neck. As soon as Sirius got his sword free, Harry brought his sword around to Sirius' neck.

   "Looks to me like you're dead," said Harry, smiling triumphantly. He had been so wound up in the fight that he had forgotten other people were in the room.

   "Well that's no fun," said Sirius, pouting. "I won't be able to pull anymore pranks on Snape."

   Most of the students and even some of the teachers laughed at Sirius' antics while Snape, who was seated up by the teacher's table, scowled. There were students however that stayed silent and did nothing but stare Harry in complete shock. They thought what Harry had just done was impossible.

   Harry noticed their stares and tried to ignore them but found that he couldn't. There were so many people staring at him now as though he was some sort of a disease that was going to come after them and try to kill them.

   Sirius noticed this fairly quickly as did Remus.

   "Harry, come with me for a moment. I need to talk to you about something," said Sirius, coming forward to rest his hand against Harry's shoulder as he began to lead his Godson out of the Great Hall.

   Harry merely nodded and let himself be lead away out of the hall. People had begun whispering things as he passed thinking that he couldn't hear them. As their whispers grew, Harry felt as though he was being suffocated and he wasn't able to breath clearly again until he was outside of the Great Hall. He could still hear the students chatting noisily behind him from the Great Hall but he was able to block them out now. He couldn't be happier to be out of there.

   "Come on, Harry," said Sirius, who had started to walk down the corridor outside the Great Hall. Harry quickly followed him but stayed silent.

   Sirius watched Harry very closely as they walked. He knew all this was going to be hard on his Godson and he wished that there was something he could do about it, but there wasn't anything he could do. All that he could do to help was just be there if Harry needed him.

   The trip to wherever Sirius was leading them was a very silent and uncomfortable one. Harry really didn't feel like talking and he was very conscious of Sirius' eye one him as they move through the halls. He was curious to know what Sirius wanted to do now but looking at his Godfather he realized that whatever it was, was going to have to wait until they got to wherever it was they were going.

   The finally reached a portrait of what looked like a man bent over his desk, though Harry wasn't quite sure. There picture was a bit faded but what Harry could see was a big oak desk covered in many pieces of parchment, scrolls, books and quills. The man was dressed all in black and had black hair but beyond that Harry couldn't see anything else of his features.

   The man in the portrait looked up at them. "Why, hello Sirius, you're here early. And who is this young man you have here with you?"

   Sirius smiled. "This is my Godson."

   "Oh, Harry Potter," the man said with a smile as though he knew something Harry did not. "It's nice to finally meet you." Harry just smiled at the man, not knowing what he could say.

   The man then turned back to Sirius. "Password?"

   "Prongs," Sirius answered and the portrait swung open. Sirius led them into a dark chamber; the only light was coming from a fireplace to their right.

   Harry glanced around once they had paced the main outcropping. Right beside the fireplace to his against the right wall was a four-poster bed that looked a lot like the beds in the Gryffindor dormitory except it was much larger. The far wall in front of them had three beautiful stain-glass windows, two smaller ones on both sides and a bigger one in the middle. To the far left corner of the room was a huge desk much like the one Sirius had in the Defence classroom and beside that were a few bookcases that were overflowing with books.

   As Harry turned towards the far left wall he saw a portrait that he couldn't make out very well because of the dark but he could make out four figures standing in it and to the left of that was a door which Harry guessed lead to the bathroom. In the middle of the room was a huge comfy red sofa and two match chairs, one of which Sirius was now occupying.

   "Does it meet your approval?" Sirius asked.

   Harry's cheeks flushed red with embarrassment. "I've never been in a teacher's chambers before."

   Sirius waved him off. "Don't worry about it. Students are not allowed in the teacher's chambers, but you're my Godson so if I want to allow you in here then you can."

   "Don't I feel privileged?" said Harry. He looked around the room a little more before moving over to join Sirius.

   They sat in silence for a few moments until Harry broke it with the question that had been on his mind for weeks now. "Sirius," he began, "what's happening to me?"

   Sirius sighed and leaned forward towards Harry, resting his elbows against his knees. "It's complicated Harry. What's happening to you is not a bad thing and there's no reason why you should be scared of it. You've just reached a point where your full magic potential is starting to show again."

   Harry frowned. "Again?"

   "As I said, it's complicated but I'll try to explain as much of it as I can."

   They stayed silent again while Sirius gathered his thoughts.

   "When you were little, Harry, we all knew that you'd been a very powerful wizard. You would do things that other wizards my age couldn't do. Lily, James, Remus and I have all seen you do very interesting things.

   "If you wanted a certain toy and no one could find it, it would appear in front of you or if Lily or James dropped something and you were in the room, it would just hover above the ground."

   "But how did you know it was me?" Harry asked, his mouth slightly open. He couldn't have done that, could he?

   "Cause your eyes would glow bright green," Sirius answered.

   Harry didn't know what to say for a moment. How could a baby do those things? It didn't make any sense to him. Was he really that powerful? Was that why Voldemort felt that he was a threat and had wanted him killed?

   "What changed?" Harry asked quietly. He'd never been able to do any of this stuff before so if he had done it as a baby, why hadn't he been doing it through al these years since his parents deaths.

   "Voldemort, Harry," Sirius answered solemnly. "The magical potential that you had seemed to almost disappear the night Voldemort attacked you. It wasn't just your mother that had protected you, Harry-"

   "Dad did too," Harry answered quietly.

   Sirius frowned. "How'd you know that?"

   Harry looked up at him. "In Divinations, I saw a vision from the past. I watch Voldemort attack us and I watched him kill Dad. Voldemort said something about it," he lied. He couldn't tell Sirius that his Father had told him. He didn't think he'd ever be able to tell anyone that. He also didn't think he'd ever be able to discuss with anyone about him being the heir of Gryffindor. Not until Dumbledore or someone else told him.

   Sirius nodded. "Well, yes. Both James and Lily protected you but it wasn't just them, Harry. You protected yourself as well and it drained you considerable. Not to mention that your parents were killed and magical children have a link with their parents that was severed between you and yours that night. That also contributed.

   "Now Dumbledore's been keeping a watch on you ever year and he says that every year your powers grow a little stronger. Now they're approaching their peak again."

   Harry's mouth opened in disbelief. "So you're telling me that it's taken my powers fourteen years to replenish themselves."

   Sirius nodded. "Pretty much. Didn't you ever notice that you only started performing little bits of magic when you were four years old?"

   Harry sank back into the chair. "Yeah, I noticed that."

   "Well, that's why. Your powers were really drained, Harry, and you have no idea how strong they used to be."

   Harry sighed deeply. His life had just complicated itself so much that he didn't know how he was ever going to deal with it. "Great," he muttered.

   "Harry," said Sirius, looking down at the red carpet for a moment. "If people start to bother you, even if it's just staring, I want you to let either Remus or me know. You've got a lot of work coming up and with this whole power thingy it's only going to get worse before it gets better."

   Harry simply nodded as he stared into the fire. Sirius sighed.

   "You better head up to Gryffindor Tower before Ron and Hermione begin to worry. Also is you ever want to come here again you know the password. Whether you want to talk with me, or if I'm not here just to get away from the other students for a bit, the room's always open."

   Harry nodded and stood, heading towards the portrait hole.

   "Harry?" Sirius called and Harry turned back to face him. "Don't forget that there are people who care about you."

   Harry smiled a little. "I know. Good night Sirius."

   "Night, Harry," Sirius said as Harry slipped out of the portrait hole and disappeared leaving Sirius alone with his thoughts.

   He stood perfectly still in a dark corner of the corridor, as invisibility cloak concealing him. He watched as the portrait to Sirius' chambers swung open and Harry stepped out. Once the portrait had shut, Harry just stood there for a moment.

   The cloaked figure watched him silently, wanting nothing more then to throw the invisibility cloak off and go talk to Harry, but he couldn't do that because Dumbledore wouldn't allow him too. There was a chance Harry could see him now, but he didn't particularly care.

   Harry sighed and headed off in the direction of Gryffindor Tower. The cloaked figure followed closely behind. He could feel that something wasn't right with Harry. It was sort of like what he had felt over the summer, but it wasn't nearly as bad.

   _'What's wrong, Harry?'_ he thought to himself. He knew something was horribly wrong and he wanted to find out what it was and find out soon.

   Harry finally reached the portrait hole to Gryffindor Tower. The Fat Lady was currently fast asleep, but Harry made no move to wake her. Instead, he just slumped down against the wall beside her and pulled his legs up to his chest, burying his head in his arms.

   The cloaked figure wasn't sure what to do. Harry was now sobbing softly into his robes. The cloaked figure knew that what Harry needed right now was some comfort, but he couldn't give that to him. He just wasn't allowed to.

   The cloaked figure needed to talk to Sirius. With one last look at Harry, he turned and headed back the way he had come. The situation was much worst then they had thought. _'Vernon is so going to pay the next time I see him,'_ he thought.

   Harry didn't deserve any of this. If it weren't for Wormtail, Harry's life wouldn't have taken this bad a turn. He wouldn't have had to live with the Dursleys and he would have been loved. His parents would have made sure of that.

   The cloaked figure reached the portrait to Sirius' room and knocked softly against the portrait. After a few moments the portrait slowly opened and as it did, the cloaked figure pulled the invisibility cloak off.

   Sirius peaked his head out and stared at him n surprise. "What are you doing out of Dumbledore's office? You could be seen."

   "We'll deal with that if it happens," said the cloaked figure. "But right now we have bigger problems."

   "And what's that?" said Sirius, starting to get slightly worried.

   The cloaked figure sighed and uttered only one word before Sirius ushered him inside. "Harry."          


	18. Mirror to the Past

**AN:** Guess who's back? Me, of course!!! I'm really sorry guys that I haven't updated this story or any of my other ones in ages, but I've been having a really rough time lately. If you want to know evrything then you're going to have to read my profile cause I'm far too lazy to write evrything out again. Anyways thanks to all of you who stuck with me and this story and for the many reviews that I have recieved. They mean a lot to me guys and you have no idea how great it felt to come home after a crappy day and read all those nice things you guys had to say about my story. I'm really glad that you are all enjoying it.

**Disclamier:** I've done one for the story already, but in this chapter I'm using a character that isn't mine nor J.K's. The character is Janus Lupin and he belongs too FairyTale. I waited for permission but I never got a reply back so FairyTale if you read this and want Janus out, let me know and I will take him out of the story!

* * *

– Chapter Seventeen –

**Mirror to the Past**

Winter was slowly starting to creep its way into the grounds of Hogwarts. A thin layer of snow had begun to form on the ground and the birds were beginning their journey south. Everything seemed normal, unless of course you counted how a certain boy with ridiculous jet-black hair was being treated.

Ever since the night of the first dueling club meeting, people had began to treat Harry very differently than they had used to. They tried to avoid him as much as possible and if they had to talk with him, they'd speak in a hushed voice and avoid looking him in the eye. None of this went unnoticed by Harry.

Since that night, Harry had begun to ignore people and just concentrate on his schoolwork. He had even begun blocking out Ron and Hermione, ignore their questions of concern and pushed them away with a simple "I'm fine."

Sirius and Remus had noticed his behaviour and both had tried to talk with him about it, but he had begun to avoid them now as well. They only time he seemed to talk to anyone anymore was if he was asking or answering a question, but even that happened rarely.

"Harry, please answer us," Hermione pleaded for what must be the thousandth time. It was lunchtime and the three were currently at the very end of the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall. Harry had a few books and pieces of parchment spread out in front of him and he was slowly munching through a sandwich.

"Harry?" she tried again. Still, Harry didn't answer her.

"Come on mate, talk to us. We don't care what those people think about you," Ron said.

Harry sighed and shoved his books and parchment back into his bag. "But maybe they're right," he said as he stood up and started out of the hall.

Hermione ran up to him and grabbed his arm to stop him. Harry stopped but he wouldn't meet her gaze.

"Harry, where are you going? We've still got another forty-five minutes left-"

"Correction," he interrupted, "_You_ have another forty-five minutes left. _I_ have a class to go to," he pulled his arm out of her gasp and left.

Hermione sat back down at the table with Ron. "I give up. He doesn't even listen to us anymore."

Ron sighed. "I know. Fred and George tried playing a prank on him last night, but he found out at the last second and avoided it. He just ignored the whole thing and kept working."

"I know I'm always telling you two to be more serious about your school work, but I didn't think he would spend all his time at it. He spends more time researching and studying then I do," Hermione said.

"You think there's anything we can do about it?" Ron asked.

Hermione shook her head. "I don't think there's anything we can do. We've done all we can and he still won't talk to us. I guess we'll just have to let him do all this on his own. He sure doesn't want our help."

"Who doesn't want your help?" asked Sirius as he and Remus joined the two. It wasn't odd to see the two Professors seating at the Gryffindor table as they had been doing it for the last couple of weeks, talking with Hermione and Ron.

"Harry," said Ron simply, taking a bite out of his apple.

"Ah," Remus muttered.

Hermione sighed. "I can understand why he's acting the way he is, but what I don't understand is why he won't talk to us about it. He's totally blocking us out."

"Well you know Harry. He likes to try and deal with things like this by himself," Remus answered.

"And this year has been really tough on him so far. Just look at everything he's had to deal with," said Sirius.

"He still shouldn't be pushing his friends aside," Ron said grimly.

"You're right, Ron. He shouldn't," Remus answered. "But there isn't much we can do about that. All we can do is wait for Harry to come to one of us and talk about it."

"Always the voice of wisdom, eh Remus," Sirius teased.

Remus jus ignored Sirius's comment and dug into his food.

"Ah, Harry," said Dumbledore cheerfully as Harry appeared at the top of the ladder.

"Good afternoon Professors," Harry answered, coming into the Divinations Classroom. Professor Toggart smiled at him.

"I asked Professor Dumbledore here to help me teach you today's lesson. Is that alright with you?"

Harry nodded. "Doesn't bother me," he said as he took his side on one of the fluffy poufs.

Dumbledore and Professor Toggart exchanged glances. Sirius and Remus weren't the only Professors to have noticed a definite change in Harry's behaviour.

"Okay," Professor Toggart said, leaning back against the front of his desk. "You read up on the time mirrors like I asked, yes?"

Harry nodded. "Time Mirrors are one of the more advanced ways of seeing into either the future or past and they are extremely difficult to create and control. In order to create one, you normal need two or more wizards because of the power needed to create them. Only four wizards have ever been strong enough to control and create them by themselves. Merlin, Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw and Salazar Slytherin."

"Correct," said Professor Toggart with a smile on his face. "Now, Professor Dumbledore and I will create one to show you how it's done. Then I'd like you to try and create one by yourself. You're smart Harry so unless for some reason you just are powerful enough, you should be able to create and control the Time Mirror."

"But Professor," Harry said, a frown forming on his face. "What makes you think I am powerful enough to create one?"

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled and Professor Toggart just smiled. "We have faith in you, Harry. So far you have shown yourself to be a powerful wizard. We both believe that you can do this."

Harry sighed and nodded. He was used to hearing this by now and he felt no need to comment on it as every time a Professor told him this, it turned out to be true.

Dumbledore and Professor Toggart pointed their wands towards each other and said "_Aura Imagoinis!"_

A Bluish portal began to form in between them. It flared and then turned into a plate of glass, floating in mid air. It glass look much like the inside of one of the orbs but the mist had a bluish tint rather then silver.

"I believe you can handle it from here, Atticus?" said Dumbledore. "I have some other business to attend too."

Professor Toggart smiled. "Yes, of course."

Dumbledore nodded and left the room quietly.

Harry stood after the older wizard had left and walked up in front of the mirror, studying it. As he got closer the blue mist started to swirl around more quickly as though it was reacting to him so he stopped.

"Is it supposed to do that?" Harry asked, frowning.

Professor Toggart stared at the mirror for a moment. "Step closer to it, just for a moment."

Harry did as he was told. He took a small step forward and the blue mist began to swirl even more violently. Harry peered at it closely. The blue mist had now taken on an overtone of gold.

"Well that's interesting. I've never seen it do that before," said Professor Toggart, scratching the side of his head.

"Is it a bad thing?" asked Harry.

Professor Toggart shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine, but I don't think it should affect anything."

Harry sighed in relief. "Well that's good to hear."

"Umm," Professor Toggart mumbled. "Well anyway, once a mirror is conjured you just have to think about what you want to see whether it be in the past or about the future. Normally if two or more wizards create it, then they have to point their wand at it to get it to show them what they want but if you can create it by yourself then you want need to use your wand."

Harry nodded and pulled out his wand.

"Now," said Professor Toggart, "point your wand out in front of yourself and say, _'Aura Imagoinis'._"

Harry took a deep breath and pointed his wand out in front of himself. _"Aura Imagoinis!!!"_

A reddish-gold flame shot out the end of Harry's wand and started to form a portal in front on him, but inside of the bluish mist, it was a reddish-gold mist, which began to swirl around violently

Harry stared at it in shock. Not just the shock of the fact that he had created one all by himself, but the fact that the mist was a different colour. The normal Time Mirror contained a bluish coloured mist, but his was reddish-gold.

"Is that supposed to happen?" asked Harry.

"Don't worry, Harry," said Professor Toggart. "Dumbledore said your mirror would probably look different then the standard one." He then smiled, "but those sure are some pretty Gryffindor colours."

Harry smiled slightly, but it vanished as soon as he remembered what his father had told him in the dream. _You are the last remaining heir of Gryffindor, Harry._ Harry sighed deeply. _Figures,_ he thought.

"Is there anything you would like to see in your mirror, Harry?" asked Professor Toggart.

Harry stared at his mirror and thought. Was there anything he wanted to see? Yes, there was. "No," Harry lied. "Nothing."

Professor Toggart looked at him doubtfully, but let it slide. "Alright then," he said, "Your homework is to write an essay on the history behind the time mirrors. As you already seem to know so much about them, it shouldn't be so hard for you."

Harry nodded and then turned back to the mirror. "How do I…" he gestured towards the mirror.

"Just wave your hand in front of it and say '_Finta Incantartm.'_"

Harry rolled his eyes._ Why didn't I think of that?_ He thought as he waved his hand in front of him and said the words. The mirror vanished.

Professor Toggart smiled. "Well, looks like I'm going to have to think of some more difficult tasks for you to do."

Harry just shrugged and started packing up his things. Things were starting to become very trivial to him now. He understood most things now and it was starting to scare him. He was scoring better then Hermione, but he tried his best not to let his fear show.

"See you later, Professor," said Harry, stepping towards the ladder.

"Bye-Harry," said Professor Toggart.

Harry quickly reached the bottom of the ladder and stopped. His next class was Transfiguration with his normal class. He wasn't looking forward to it. He wasn't looking forward to any of his regular classes anymore. All those people staring at him and whispering behind his back aggravated him.

Then there was Ron and Hermione. He knew that they only wanted to help him, but they couldn't. Nothing could help him now. Nothing Dumbledore, Sirius or Remus said could have prepared him for the reality that he was facing now.

Harry shook his head. He shouldn't be wasting his time thinking about something he couldn't change. He wouldn't get anywhere if he did that.

Regaining his cold and emotionless demeanour, Harry continued on his way to Transfiguration, unaware of the cloaked figure that followed.

Harry reached his Transfiguration classroom just in time and chose a seat at the back to avoid attention. Ron and Hermione came to sit beside him.

Harry didn't even acknowledge their presence. He felt it best to just ignore them. They couldn't understand what he was going through and he didn't think there was anyone in the world that did.

"Today," Professor McGonagoll began, "we'll be learning how to change frogs into a completely different animal. As this is new, it's best that you start small, like a butterfly. If you completely it correctly then you should be able to change it back."

She pulled out her wand and pointed it at the frog in front of her. "Like so," she said. "_Avifors!"_ The frog changed into a beautiful purple butterfly, which fluttered its wings, trying to take flight.

"_Deifors!"_ The butterfly changed back into a frog.

"Now, all of you try," she said. People all around the room were muttering _'Avifors,'_ but some scared eyes gazed at Harry intensively.

Harry didn't really want the center of attention. He knew what he had to do, but he didn't want to do it. People were never going to leave him alone if he kept displaying his powers, but the teachers had told him that if a spell was too easy, to make it more difficult for himself. This was one of those spells.

He looked up at McGonagoll to see that she was also watching him closely but for an entirely different reason than the rest of the class. _She's testing me,_ Harry thought._ Well, it it's a test, might as well do well on it.'_

"I don't get it," said Ron, staring at his deformed frog. He just couldn't seem to work the spell properly.

"Oh, come off it, Ron. It's not that difficult," said Hermione, who was now playing with her red butterfly.

"Easy for you to say," said Ron. "If it's that easy, why hasn't Harry done it?"

"Because I don't want too," said Harry, pulling out his wand. People turned to look at him. "But I don't have much of a choice. _'Avifors'!_" He muttered lazily.

There was a flash of golden light that exploded out of his wand and where the frog once was, now sprang a beautiful blue ice bird. It sang out loudly, drawing everyone's attention. Before it had a chance to escape, Harry muttered, _"Deifors!"_ There was another flash and the frog had now returned, hopping around on Harry's desk.

Harry sagged back into his seat and sighed deeply, noticing that everyone was now whispering. He really wasn't in the mood for this.

McGonagall now stood in front of Harry's desk and Harry could see that she looked somewhat proud. "Well Done, Mr. Potter. Twenty points to Gryffindor, for such a wonderful Transfiguration."

Ron scowled. "Okay, I give up. How did you two do that?"

Hermione laughed and for the first time since the Dueling club, Harry smiled.

Later that night, Harry, who had pretended to go up to bed early, pulled the Invisibility cloak over himself and crept back downstairs into the common room, wanting to go out to get away from everything for a little while. Not many people were there this late as night, but he saw Hermione and Ron in the far corner chatting quietly to Professor Lupin.

Curious to know what Remus was doing in Gryffindor Tower, Harry crept silently towards them, careful not to hit anything on the way. As he got closer, he could hear what they were saying.

"But Professor, he's getting even more distant from us," said Hermione softly. "I thought we were getting to him in Transfiguration today, but after that he just started ignoring us again. Waiting for him to come to us isn't going to work."

Remus sighed. "I know, Hermione, but what else can we do? We can't force Harry to come to us and tell us what's wrong. We can only let him know that we're here if he needs us."

"But what good will that do?" said Ron. "He's suffering, Professor. He may try to hide his feelings, but he can't hide them from us. We wouldn't be good friends if we didn't know something was wrong."

Harry leaned against the wall. This was not what he had been expecting to hear. He didn't know that his friends were this worried about him.

"Sirius and I both know something is wrong as well and we've both tried on several occasions to try and get him to talk to us but he won't. He's been pushing us away just like he has with you two," Remus finished.

"I have good reason too," said Harry from underneath the cloak. He then bolted from the common room, hearing his name being called behind him, but he ignored it. He knew they couldn't see him, but he kept running all the same.

He kept running until he ran out the entrance door to Hogwarts. From there, he continued to walk across the grounds towards the Quidditch pitch. He couldn't think of anywhere else to go.

The night was cold as Harry trudged through the thin blanket of snow that had fallen onto the grounds. It didn't bother him as much as it normally would. He hardly noticed the cold, too wounded up in his own thoughts.

He reached the pitch and looked around. The pitch was dark; snow had covered every inch of it. The half moon filtered down upon it, outlining the frost-covered hoops at the far end on either side of the pitch.

Harry pulled out his wand and made sure his invisibility cloak was still on tight. Then he uttered, "_Accio _Lightenbolt" and waited. He didn't have to wait long however. Soon he could hear the sounds of his Lightenbolt streaming quickly towards him.

He turned and saw it hurtling towards him, just like his Firebolt had done last year during the First Tas… Harry shook his head hard as the Lightenbolt stopped dead in mid-air beside him, waiting for him to mount. He really couldn't afford to be thinking about last year. It would only make things worse than they already were.

He swung his leg over the broom and kicked off from the ground. The world around him suddenly didn't matter as he soared higher into the night. All that mattered now was the broom and the feeling of freedom that flying gave him. Up here, it didn't matter how powerful you were or what people thought about you. It was the only place where Harry felt truly like nothing mattered in the world.

As the wind brushed past him, it began to tear his invisibility cloak off him, so he let it and once it was off, he tucked it under his arm. He really didn't care if anyone saw him up here and he had points taken away. He'd just earn them all back again tomorrow anyways.

Finally, after flying around for a bit, Harry landed high up in the stands and just sat. His life was getting too hard for him. He just wanted everything to stop.

Not really knowing what else to do, Harry pulled out his wand and muttered two words, "_Aura Imagoinis._"

Like before, the reddish-gold flame shot out of Harry's wand and formed a portal in front of him. He stared deep into the reddish-gold mist, trying to think why he had conjured a Time Mirror, when the mirror answered his unspoken question.

The mist swirled and a picture formed. Foggy at first, but then it got clearer. He only realized what he was seeing when he heard a voice say, _"Oh, be careful, Sirius. I don't want you to drop him."_

"_Stop worry, Lily. Padfoot won't drop him, will you?"_

"_Of course I won't. You know I'd die before I hurt Harry," said Sirius._

"_Padfooh!" squealed a happy little voice. _

Harry stared at the scene with tear-filled eyes. It was his parents, Sirius and himself in what looked like a huge backyard with tons of other people around that Harry didn't recognize. It looked like they were having some sort of party, for what Harry didn't know.

"_I know, but I can't help worrying. It's a mother's instinct you know," said Lily, crossing her arms over her chest._

"_Oh, so are you trying to say that I don't have any instincts," said James._

"_Prongs, you don't have any instincts," said Sirius, swirling around again with Harry in his arms. The child laughed._

"_I'd have to agree with you there, Sirius," said Remus. Coming towards the small group. _Harry gasped at how young Remus use to look. Not nearly as tired and fragile looking as he was now.

"_Moony, I was beginning to wonder if you were coming at all, said James, smiling._

_Remus smiled in return. "You really think I was going to miss Harry's birthday."_

"_Moony!" Harry squealed and began to reach for him._

"_Hey, sure. Abandon me," said Sirius, handing Harry over to Remus._

"_I guess Harry just likes one Godfather better that the other, right James," said Lily, trying to suppress some giggles. _

"_Oh definitely," James agreed, joining in on the joke while trying to keep a straight face, but he failed miserably. _

'_What?'_ Harry thought to himself, as he continued to stare into the mirror. _'I have **two **Godfathers! But why didn't Remus or Sirius tell me?'_

_They all began to laugh at the look on Sirius' face. "Fine," he said. "Be mean."_

"_Oh, don't take it like that, Padfoot," said Remus. "Harry just probably missed me. He gets to see you everyday."_

_Sirius sighed in defeat. "Okay. If you say so."_

"_Hi, everyone,' said Peter, poking his head out of the crowd._

"_Hey, Pet, what took you so long?" asked James._

"Probably some Death Eater meeting," said Harry.

"_I had some business that kept me," he said joining them. He then turned to Harry, who was now clinging tightly to Remus. "Hey Harry. Happy Birthday," but Harry didn't respond. Instead he buried his head into Remus' chest._

"See. Even when I was a baby, I knew something was bad about you," said Harry to the mirror image of Wormtail.

"_Yes, I'm not the only one that Harry's rejected today!" said Sirius with a smile._

"_Padfooh," said Harry looking at him strongly._

"_What?" said Sirius. _

"_I think what he's trying to say is that he doesn't reject you, Padfoot," said James. "Just that he'd rather be with Moony right at the moment."_

"_And what about me?" Peter asked. Harry buried his face in Remus' robes again._

_Remus just shrugged at this. "Maybe he's playing hide-and-seek with you."_

"_Play what?" asked Sirius._

_Lily and Remus both shook their heads. "Hide-and-seek, Sirius," Lily answered. "It's a Muggle game where a bunch of people hide and the person it has to seek them out. Sort of like how the seeker finds the snitch."_

"_Except it's played on the ground," Remus added._

"_Ah," said Sirius in understanding._

"_Daddy," said Harry, lifting his head slightly to look at James._

_James walked questionably over towards Remus and took Harry from him. "What's wrong, Harry?"_

_Harry grabbed hold of James and buried his head into James' robes. James wasn't sure what was wrong._

"_James?" Lily asked questionably, coming closer to the pair._

"_I don't know," said James, staring down, confused, at the little boy in his arms._

Harry leant closer to the mirror, wondering what was happening to his younger-self.

"_Harry, what's wrong?" James asked again._

_Harry tightened his grip. "Bad men," the child said simply._

_James exchanged a look with Lily._

"_What did he say?" Sirius asked._

"_He said 'bad men'. Ever since we found out Voldemort was after us, he's been having nightmares,' said James sadly. _

"_But how could he even comprehend what that means?" Peter asked._

_Sirius and Remus had already figured out what that meant. "It's his powers, isn't it?" Remus asked._

_James nodded as he adjusted Harry in his arms. "We think he's been having visions of something, we're not exactly sure what."_

"_Traitor," said Harry, earning curious glances from everyone._

Harry smiled a little. _'Smarty,'_ he thought. He noticed that all the color had drained from Peter's face.

"_What did he mean by that?" Lily asked._

_James just shrugged. "I don't know."_

_Peter cleared his throat. "You guys, Harry just gave me an idea and it's important. I'm sorry, but I need to go."_

"_Oh, but Peter-" it was too late. Peter was gone._

The mist in the mirror swirled again and began to form another picture. It was the living room Harry had seen in his first vision. His father was sitting on the couch, looking extremely tired and worn out. Baby Harry was sitting on the floor playing with magical building blocks, which were hovering slightly off the ground.

"_James?" Lily said from the kitchen doorway on the other side of the room. "You should go to bed. You've been working yourself too hard trying to hunt down all those Death Eaters and you're exhausted."_

"_I can't go to bed, Lily," he answered, rubbing his eyes. "You know that."_

_Lily just sighed. "You know that I can very easily whip up a dreamless-sleep potion and force it down your throat."_

_James chuckled. "It's better that you don't. I'm on call and what would you like to say to Mr. Fritzsch if he called and you had to explain why I couldn't come."_

_At that moment, the doorbell rang._

_Lily frowned, as she turned her attention to the front door. "Who could that be?" She said, headed towards the door._

"_Moony!" Harry squealed happily, starting to crawl towards the front door._

"_Oh no you don't, Squirt," said James as he bent forward and picked Harry up off the floor._

_Harry squirmed in his arms, trying to get free. "Moony!"_

Harry frowned. Why was his father doing that? He didn't have long to wonder though. _Lily screamed._

"_Remus!"_

_James ran out into the front hall, still holding the squirming Harry. What he saw surprised him. Remus was leaning heavily against the doorframe, dripping with blood. He had gashes and wounds everywhere. Lily was trying to help him into the house._

"_Moony!" Harry squealed again, tears forming in his eyes because his father wouldn't let go._

_Remus looked up at Harry with a small smile. "Hey cub." _

"_Remus, what happened?" James asked, taking in the sight of his friend as Lily got him into the living room and onto the couch._

"_Death Eaters," he said as Lily ran off to get some potions from the kitchen. _

"_What did they do?" James asked, still keeping a tight hold on Harry._

'_Dad, what are you doing?' _Harry thought. _'Why won't you let me get to Remus?'_

"_They came to my house and…they gave me a choice. Either I join Voldemort or I die." Remus started coughing up blood._

_Lily had come back and started working frantically on Remus, but it was no use. There were just too many wounds to address._

_Lily looked up at James. "He's dying."_

"_Moony!" Harry squealed, crying now as though he had understood what his mother had said._

_James walked closer to Remus and knelt down beside him. Harry was struggling even harder now to escape. "Remus, what happened?" James asked more forcefully._

"What are you waiting for, Dad?" Harry asked his father's image.

"_I…I refused. I tried to…get away, but there were too many. Voldemort's trying to get all the werewolves on…his side. Those who refuse him…will die." Remus said as though he knew what James was asking him. "I could never betray you, James…or Lily…and I would never hurt Harry."_

_James nodded and finally released his grip on Harry, who immediately crawled on top of Remus. Remus just smiled down at him and ruffled his hair._

"_Sorry cub," Remus whispered sadly._

_Harry's crying had stopped now and he stared up at Remus with glowing green eyes._

"_James?" Lily asked, staring at Harry in shook._

"_Don't worry, Lil, I think I know what Harry's trying to do," James answered, watching his son closely. _

"_Moony!" Harry said again and then he started to glow. There was a blinding flash, and then everything went dark again._

Harry stared at the mirror in shock. Remus was healed. He looked perfectly fine now. His younger self had healed him.

_Remus slowly sat up, looking down at Harry in surprise. Harry just continued to look up at him with large, innocent, green eyes as though nothing had happened at all._

"_Moony," Harry said again._

_Remus smiled down at him and lifted him up into his arms. "Thanks, pup." Harry smiled._

The mist began to swirl again, but a voice broke through Harry's thoughts. "Harry?"

Harry turned towards the voice and saw Sirius standing close by, a look of deep concern on his face.

Harry sighed and turned back to look at the mirror. He really wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone right now, especially after finding out that Sirius and Remus had been keeping even more secrets from him.

Sirius walked towards Harry and sat down beside him. He was worried about Harry and he wasn't going to leave until his godson gave him some answers. This had been going on for too long now and he knew that Harry was only going to suffer some more if he didn't tell someone what he was going through.

"Harry, please answer me?" Sirius said more forcefully.

"Why?" Harry asked coldly, refusing to look at Sirius.

"Because I want to help. You can't keep pushing away like this and you can't keep everything bottled up inside you."

Harry shook his head. "You wouldn't understand."

"What? That people are treating you differently then they use too. That you're scared of your new powers and that no matter how hard you try, you can't escape the feelings and memories of last year," Sirius answered.

Harry didn't reply.

Sirius sighed. "Harry, I know that you're going through some rough times right now and-"

"And what?' Harry voice shot out as he turned to face Sirius. Anger was rushing through his veins right now. "You don't understand! How could you? All year you've been keeping secrets from me, hell even longer then that. I had to find out on my own that the Order is protecting me, I had to deal with what happened last year all by myself and now I find that both you and Remus have been keeping another secret from me. When were the two of you planning on telling me that Remus is also my Godfather? When were the two of you planning to explain to me why I had to go live with the Dursleys instead of going to live with Remus? Were you ever going to tell me or were you just going to keep hiding it?"

Sirius didn't show any sign that he was bothered by what Harry had just said. Instead he lowered his head for a moment and took a deep breath. "You have ever right to be angry about that, Harry, but don't take it out on either myself or Remus. We never told you because we knew you would react like this.

"Remus tried very hard after your parents deaths to get custody of you, knowing that Lily and James would have wanted you to live with either him or myself if something ever happened to them and on the few occasion where Lily had talked about her sister, she had mentioned that she'd never want you to have to live with them. Both her and James were very firm in the idea of you never ever even meeting them."

"So why then did I spend ten years of my life, living with them and why have I spent every summer since going back there?" Harry asked anger still in his voice.

"Because Remus couldn't get custody," Sirius replied. "Even though it was writing in your parents will what was supposed to happen to you, they still wouldn't give him custody."

"Because he's a werewolf," Harry concluded.

Sirius nodded. "They didn't want the Boy Who Lived living with a dangerous creature even though Remus had devised a way for you to live with him and not be exposed to the wolf."

"And what was that?" Harry asked curiously, his anger beginning to subside for the moment.

"Remus has an older brother whose an Unspeakable. His name is Janus. With his permission, Remus had decided that on the nights of the full moon, Janus and his wife would talk care of you and the bring you back the next day. The Ministry, however, did not believe it was safe for you to be with Remus anytime and ruled against him. Remus went back a number of times over the course to the next two three years after your parents' deaths trying to get custody, but every time they slammed the door in his face. Suffice to say, Remus felt he had failed you and after a while just gave up."

Harry looked down for a moment, digesting everything Sirius had just told him. Now he felt ashamed for blowing up in Sirius' face like that. "I didn't know that,' he said quietly.

"I know. Remus didn't want to tell you because he feels he fail as your Godfather, but he did try, Harry," Sirius answered.

Harry was silent for a moment before he spoke. "I guess I'll have to talk to him then."

Sirius smiled. "Well that'd be a good start," he said and Harry knew what he was referring too but didn't comment on it.

Sirius placed and hand on Harry's shoulder and squeezed it gently. "We do want to help you, Harry, but we can't do that if you don't let us in."

Harry looked back up at Sirius, his green eyes filled with tears that he wouldn't let fall. "I'm just so tired of it all."

Sirius wrapped an arm around Harry and held him close. "I know, Harry. I know."

They stayed like that for a long time. Harry cried softly into Sirius' cloak, but no more words were said. There was no need. Harry cried for everything that had happen in his life. His parents, Remus, Sirius, him having to stay with the Dursleys, Cedric… just everything that had ever gone wrong in his life.

Finally Sirius broke the silence. "Come on," he said. "We can't stay out here all night."

Harry shook his head, wiping the tears away. "I don't want to go back in there."

Sirius sighed. "Tell you what. Why don't you come and sleep in my chambers tonight. The place is big enough anyways."

Harry looked up at him. "But isn't that really against regulations.'

Sirius waved him off. "Screw the regulations. Since when have I ever followed them? Besides, you're my Godson; I'm allowed leeway with you."

Harry chuckled slightly before he sighed. "What about Remus? I really think I should talk to him before I head to bed."

"Well then how about you head back to the dormitory to get some clothes and things for bed and your books for tomorrow while I track old Moony down and explain to him what you found out. Just head to my rooms after you have everything and head on in. I haven't changed the password."

Harry nodded. He then turned back to the mirror and waved a hand in front of it. "_Finita Incantartum._" The mirror vanished.

Sirius smiled. He then wrapped an arm around Harry, grabbed Harry's Lightenbolt and invisibility cloak, and the two headed back towards the castle.

A cloaked figure hidden by the shadow of the dark forest laughed as he watched the two. His master great plans in store for Harry and he couldn't wait to see them put into action.

With one last glance, he turned and headed back into the forest, his silver hand outlined by the Moon.

Remus looked up when he heard on knock on his office door. After having that chat with Ron and Hermione and trying to hunt Harry down, he had retreated to his office, deciding to get ahead on making the sixth year essays that he would need to hand back soon.

"Come in," He answered and wasn't at all surprised when Sirius walked in, closing the door behind him.

Remus put his quill down and asked, "Did you find Harry?"

Sirius nodded as he came over and pulled up a chair to Remus' desk. "Yeah. He was out on the Quidditch Pitch using a Time Mirror."

Remus frowned. "Why?"

Sirius shrugged. "Curiosity I guess, but that's not what I wanted to talk to you about."

Remus frowned and leaned back in his chair. "What is it? Did something happen?"

Sirius sighed. "I guess you could say that."

Sirius was silent for a few moments, which only made Remus worry more. "Sirius-"

"Harry knows that Lily and James also named you his Godfather," Sirius blurted out, looking down at the ground, avoiding Remus' gaze.

Remus' eyes widened and his chest constricted. "What?"

Sirius looked up at Remus and said, "He was using the Time mirror to see back into the past when Lily and James were still alive. I only caught the tale end of one of the visions. It was the night the Death Eaters attacked you and you went to Godric's Hollow."

Remus stared down at his desk, but he wasn't really seeing it. He remembered that night clearly. Voldemort and a band of his Death Eaters had approached him, trying to convince him to join their side. They had even gone as far as to put the Imperious Curse on him to make him turn, but he had fought it, fought them and had managed to get to Godric's Hollow.

He remembered how untrusting James had been, how his friend had clutched Harry, not letting the small child near him in case he was the traitor. He had been able to convince Prongs that he wasn't the traitor and Harry had healed him. Unfortunately by that time, the Fidelius Charm had already been cast and neither James nor Lily had had time to tell Sirius that he hadn't been the traitor.

"Moony?" Sirius said, shaking Remus out of his thoughts. He looked up to see Sirius looking at him in concern. "You alright?"

Remus nodded. "How did Harry take it?" He asked, afraid to know the answer.

Sirius leaned back in his chair with a sigh. "Not very well."

Remus closed his eyes tightly and looked away. "He blames me," Remus said solemnly.

Sirius's hands were suddenly gripping Remus by the shoulder, forcing the werewolf to look at him. "No, Remus. Don't you dare start thinking like that. Harry doesn't blame you. I explained to him why you couldn't take him and he understands."

"Does he?" Remus asked, suddenly feeling a lot older then he really was. "I wouldn't."

Sirius sighed and kneeled down beside Remus's chair. "Don't take it from me, Moony. Take it from him. He's waiting in my chambers for you. He wants to talk to you about this and I think you should. You need to talk about this with him even more then he needs to talk about it with you."

Remus looked down at his hands for a moment. He knew Sirius was right. He did need to talk to Harry; needed to get this out. He needed to explain to Harry everything that he had gone through as he had tried to gain custody.

"Moony?" Sirius said, bringing Remus back to the present.

Remus sighed and nodded. "Okay."

Sirius smiled slightly. "I've got to go have a chat with Dumbledore. Hopefully that'll give you and Harry enough time."

Remus just nodded again and pulled himself out of his chair. Just as he was about to leave the room, Sirius called out to him, "Moony?"

"Umm," Remus answered, turning back to Sirius with his hand on the door.

"Everything's going to work out. You'll see."

Remus smiled slightly. "I hope you're right, Padfoot," and he was gone.

Harry paced back and forth in front of the fireplace inside Sirius' chambers, feeling extremely nervous inside. After they had left the Quidditch Pitch, he and Sirius had gone their separate ways, Sirius to talk to Remus and he to get his things from Gryffindor Tower.

He had come to Sirius's rooms to see that an extra bed had already been set up by Sirius' and he had just dumped his stuff on it and sat down, waiting for Remus to show. But he had become too impatient and was now pacing.

He knew Sirius was going to explain everything to Remus before Remus came, which was both a blessing and a curse. He really hadn't wanted to explain everything to his newly found Godfather, but he wasn't sure what he was going to say to him now. He was hoping Remus would have questions to ask because he had no idea where to start.

Just then, Harry heard the portrait hole open and whirled around to watch Remus come slowly into the room. Remus just stared at him for a moment and Harry stared back. Neither knew what to say or where to start.

Remus sighed. "So you know." It was more of a statement rather then a question.

"Yeah," Harry answered quietly.

Remus pushed some of his hair out of his face and crossed the room to Sirius' couch were he sat down. "I'm sorry that I didn't tell you earlier."

Harry shook his head. "I understand why you didn't."

"That's not an excuse, Harry," Remus answered, looking up. "You had a right to know."

Harry joined Remus on the couch. He wasn't sure what to say, but he wanted to try and calm Remus' fears.

"I know now."

Remus chuckled slightly. "Yes, you do." His face then darkened. "I'm sorry I couldn't take you in when your parents died."

"You tried-"

"Yes Harry, I did. But not hard enough," Remus interrupted. He sighed, closing his eyes. "After your parents died and Sirius was thrown into Azkaban, I was a mess. It had been a full moon the night that it all happened so I didn't find out about it until two days later. By then, you were already at the Dursleys and Sirius was in Azkaban. I never had the chance to ask Sirius why or to say goodbye to you," he said, looking at Harry.

Harry kept silent, just taken in the words Remus was saying. He knew the older man needed to get this out.

"I went to stay with my brother, Janus and his wife since I couldn't really take care of myself after that. I stayed in bed until dinner and even then I hardly ate anything. Dumbledore and Janus were really worried that I wouldn't pull through, especially after the next full moon."

"What changed?" Harry asked, knowing that something must have.

"My priorities changed. I didn't have anything left to live for in the world, Harry. I didn't see the point anymore. I had lost the only people besides my brother and Dumbledore who ever accepted me for who and what I was. I don't even really know why I was sticking around, except to be at your parents' funeral and it was a good thing I did."

"Why? What happened?"

Remus gave a sad little smile and met Harry in the eye. "You did. Your aunt and uncle had come to the funeral with you and your cousin. The only reason I even knew who they were was because you called out my name."

"I did?" Harry asked, confused.

Remus nodded. "You learned how to call me Moony pretty quickly. I guess it was a lot easy then saying Padfoot, cause you'd always mess his name up, but never mine. Anyway, you called out and your aunt gave you hell, but I walked up to her and asked if I could hold you during the ceremony. She let me, of course, and it was during the funeral that I realize I had something left. I had you.

"So after that I started trying to get custody. Janus helped me try and he had a lot of leverage seeing as how he's an Unspeakable. We worked on the first petition for your custody for a solid four months before we finally submitted it. It took them three weeks to get back to me and I knew then that something wasn't right.

"They called me in for a hearing but they didn't want to listen to what I had to say. They just kept telling me the laws against werewolves adopting children and they didn't want to listen to what I had to say. They didn't want to listen to me when I told them how you were being treated, they didn't want to listen about my relationship with you and your parents and they certainly didn't want to listen to why I thought you'd be fine with me."

"So what then?" Harry asked.

"I went home and blew up in my brother's face. It was the day before the full moon and I guess the Ministry picked that date because they were hoping I'd react badly and I did, just not in front of them. I smashed some vases and damaged so furniture and almost threw Janus down a flight of stairs.

"Janus let me have it then. He couldn't believe that I was already willing to give up. He knew that I wasn't going to get you the first time round and he couldn't believe that I was willing to just give up with giving a fight.

"So he got me to try again, and again, and again and again until three years had passed and I still didn't have custody. I gave up then for good, knowing that they weren't going to let me have you. You were four by then so after my final attempt I went to see you. Just once more, but your uncle wouldn't let me in. Thinking back on it now, I realize that you must have been locked in that cupboard at the time, but I never realized it."

Harry frowned. "That's all?"

Remus sighed. "That's all. I went to live in the country afterwards and hunted for any small job that I could do, Muggle and magical alike. It didn't matter to me where the money came from, just as long as I had enough to live off of. I didn't have a decent job until Dumbledore offered me the position of Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor and I think the real reason I took it was so that I could have a chance to see you again and protect you from Sirius."

"Why didn't you tell me you were my Godfather then?" Harry asked.

"Because I didn't want to have to tell you why you couldn't live with me," Remus answered solemnly. "But that doesn't really matter now. You know."

They sat silently for a moment before Harry asked, "So where do we go from here?"

Remus chuckled slightly. "I have absolutely no idea."

Harry just nodded and looked down at his feet. He hadn't like what he had heard from Remus, not one bit. He knew very well that the wolf and Remus were two totally different things and yet still a part of the man that sat before him now, but from what Remus had said, the Ministry officials hadn't thought like that. They had seen Remus only as a dark creature not as the kind and loving man that Harry knew Remus to be.

Remus sighed deeply and glanced over a Harry. "You should get some rest. You've had a long day."

Harry yawned just then, proving Remus' point and making the werewolf smile. "Okay," Harry answered, standing up and headed over towards the second bed.

Remus stood and moved towards the portrait hole to leave when Harry called him back, "Remus?"

Remus turned to find Harry standing just before him. "Yes, Harry?"

Harry just stared at Remus for a moment, not quite sure what to say or do, but then he moved forward and engulfed Remus in a hug. Remus was slightly startled at first, but then smiled and wrapped his arms around Harry.

"I am sorry that I couldn't take you in, Harry," Remus said softly. "I really wanted to."

"It's okay," Harry answered into Remus's robes. "I know it wasn't your fault. Thanks for everything though."

Remus smiled. "You're welcome."

They stayed silent for a few moments before breaking apart. Just before Remus was about to leave he turned back towards Harry. "Everything's going to work out, Harry."

Harry grinned and nodded. "I know."

Remus returned to smile. "Goodnight, Harry."

"Night Moony."

And for the first time in a long while, Harry felt as though everything was truly going to work out.


	19. Avucinor Sarco

**AN:** This is the chapter you have all been waiting for. The Claoked figure is soon to be revealed. Have funn guys and please remember to review aftre reading the chapter so I know all of you are still reading this! Thank and enjoy!!!

* * *

– Chapter Eighteen –

**'_Avucinor Sarco'_**

As the winter continued and the days to Christmas became shorter and shorter, the teachers were having a hard time controlling their classes. It seemed that everyone was getting into the Christmas spirit. Professor Flitwick had even started to decorate the school starting with his own classroom where he had little fairy like creatures floating around the class that were glowing in many different colours.

Harry, on the other hand, wasn't having the best of times. People were still avoiding him and his nightmares had decided to come back, full force. He'd woken up early almost every morning in a cold sweat for the past few weeks.

The first few times this had happened, Harry had spent the last few hours of the night down in the common room staring into the fire, but then one night he had gone down to find Sirius sitting in one of the chairs facing him. Harry hadn't known how Sirius knew and Sirius hadn't told him, but Harry was very grateful that Sirius had found out.

Sirius had told him that if he ever had nightmares again, to just come straight to him regardless of what time it was and so that's what Harry did. The Gryffindors who weren't afraid to talk to Harry kept asking where he went every night but he wouldn't tell them. There were only four other people who knew that Harry went to Sirius's chamber every night; Ron, Hermione, Remus, and Harry suspected that Dumbledore knew as well.

Of course disappearing every night only made people even more suspicious of him. Some had even started spouting the ridiculous idea that he was heading off to the Chamber of Secrets again.

Harry couldn't be more relived when the Christmas holidays finally came. Surprisingly enough, he was the only one staying at Hogwarts for the Christmas holidays. Ron was heading home to spend some time with his family and Hermione and her parents were going to join the Weasleys. Harry had wanted to go, but Dumbledore had said that it would be better if he and Sirius stayed at the school for the holidays.

Everyone else, Harry thought, all left because they didn't want any trouble with him. Most of them were terrified of him and he, personally, couldn't be more relived that they had left because that would leave him all alone to do what he pleased.

It was the morning after everyone left and Harry was just sitting alone in Gryffindor Tower reading by the fire. He had nothing better to do, as all the teachers were busy doing other things.

Hermione would be proud of him if she knew what he was reading. He was reading up on Mages, the second most powerful wizards. There had only been one wizard that had been more powerful then any Mage and that had been Merlin.

This particular book, though, was of book of prophecies about Mages and they were really quite interesting.

Harry flipped the pages slowly and read the title on what looked like a really interesting prophecy.

"The Prophecy of the Phoenix," Harry read aloud. "Sounds interesting enough."

He read the first line slowly. "A phoenix shall emerge in a time of great darkness and despair. Sired by a-"

His voice died when he heard the portrait hole creak open. He looked up to find Sirius and Remus starting at him.

Sirius shook his head. "Moony, we have to do something about this. We can't let the boy read on the Christmas holidays!"

Remus frowned. "And what's wrong with reading on the Christmas holidays?" He asked, placing his hands on his hips.

Sirius stared at Remus for a moment and then dismissed him with a wave of his hand. "I keep forgetting you were the one who always wanted to be left alone to read."

Harry just shut his book and chuckled. Leave it too the Marauders to make him feel better. And what was more then that was they were both his Godfathers. Harry was still trying to get his head around it and he knew Remus was going to need some time to adjust as well, but they had managed to get through everything the needed too and so far, life with his two Godfathers had been great.

"What are the two of you up to now?" Harry asked with a huge smile on his face.

Sirius pretended to look like he was deep in thought, which only made Harry laugh. "Well," he said, "we could always pull a prank on Snape. That would be fun."

"Just as long as we're not caught," said Remus, even though he was beginning to smile.

"Hey, Harry has James's old invisibility cloak. We can do it. Beside Moony, I know you're just itching to pull a prank and also we need to teach Harry the ropes of mischief-making," Sirius said, elbowing his friend.

"And what make you think I want to learn?" Harry answered, crossing his arms over his chest.

Sirius smiled. "Oh come on, Harry, you can't fool me. You haven't had much fun this year yet and I know you're just dying for a good laugh. Besides, Snape can't take points away since it is the holidays."

Remus shook his head. "Sirius isn't going to let you leave this room until you agree, Harry. You know how he can get."

"Damn straight. Besides," Sirius said, "what would Prongs say if he knew his son didn't pull some pranks on Snape."

"Okay, so he has a point," Remus answered. "So what do you say, Harry? Want to teach Snape a thing or too?"

Harry considered them for a moment. Playing a prank on Snape did sound like fun, especially with the guidance of two Marauders, but he wasn't sure if he felt up to it. He wasn't yet over all the issues that had been plaguing him these past few months and all he really wanted to do right now was be left alone, but he knew both of his Godfathers wouldn't let him.

He sighed and put his book down before turning to face Sirius and Remus. "Okay," he answered. "What did you have in mind?"

Sirius smiled and pulled out a small book from inside his robes. He walked over to Harry and handed the book to him. Harry quickly read the title. _'The Marauders' Guide To Magical Mischief Making.'_

"We wrote this book near the end of our seventh year. It was still up in our old meeting place. It contains every single prank we ever pulled. See if there's something you'd like to do," Sirius said proudly.

Harry slowly opened the book. There were pages after pages after pages of different pranks. He couldn't believe how many of them there were and couldn't imagine being able to pull them all, even being at Hogwarts for seven years.

"You guys must have gotten into a lot of trouble," Harry answered, slowly scanning the book for something good to do.

"You have no idea," Remus said, coming to stand by Sirius. "I don't think there was anybody in the whole history of Hogwarts that caused more trouble…or lost more points."

"Hmmm," Harry mumbled, looking at an interesting one. "This one looks good."

"Let's see." Harry handed the book back to Sirius and pointed to the one he was talking about.

Sirius smiled. "Perfect. Snape will hate it."

Remus read over Sirius' shoulder. "Isn't that the one we pulled on our Potions Master in our third year?"

Sirius nodded. "We'll have to do this quickly if we don't want to get caught. Come on," he said and the three of them hurried out of the Common room.

The room was dark and cold. Not one person in this room dared to utter a single word for they knew it would be a death sentence. They valued their lives far too much to disobey their master.

The skeleton like figure wrapped its bony hand around its wand. The tension in the room was steadily rising. They were waiting.

"Wormtail," drawled the cold voice that sent a shiver down everyone's spine. "Is everything in place?"

The pathetic mass beside the skeleton like figure gave a shutter. "Y-yes, m-my Lord," he stuttered.

Voldemort smiled. "Good." He then turned to face his Death Eaters. "For the past fourteen years, Harry Potter has slipped through my fingers, but not any longer. Today is the day that the boy who was said to have been _my_ downfall will meet his own."

The Death Eaters smiled to each other. "Today is the day that the last Potter will fall. Dumbledore thought he could protect the boy from me. Oh how wrong he was."

Voldemort scanned the room for a few moments before speaking again. "Severus?"

Snape rose. "Yes my Lord?"

"When my plan is complete, Potter will be mine, but there will be a way to save him," Voldemort said. "I need you to make sure Dumbledore does not find out how, but if he does, make sure he can't get near Potter."

Snape bowed. "Yes my Lord."

"Now," Voldemort continued coldly. "Proceed to the Chamber and start the spell. I will be there shortly. Dismissed."

The Death Eaters quickly scrabbled out of the room, not wanting to anger their master. Only one of them stayed: Wormtail.

Voldemort then turned to the poor excuse for a man, never mind a wizard. "Wormtail, I have a special job for you."

The cloaked figure sighed in frustration, leaning against the window frame. There was something wrong, he could feel it but he hadn't a clue as to what it could mean.

He slammed his fist down hard against the windowsill. "Damn it!" he yelled in anger. He hated it when he couldn't figure things like this out. Something terrible was about to happen and he didn't know what.

Voldemort was behind it, he knew, but that he didn't help him in the slightest. It was like something was blocking him; trying to stop him from seeing whatever it was that was going to happen. He just couldn't understand why.

The cloaked figure turned as a swooshing sound was heard from behind him. Flame had come gliding into the room and now was perched on his shoulder.

"Flame?" he said, slightly confused. "What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be with Harry?"

Flame just tilted her head and sang out a note, as though she was trying to tell him something. Surprisingly, he understood.

"Something's wrong," he said. Flame knew it as well, he noticed, but there was something else that she was trying to tell him. Suddenly, he knew it.

"What?" he asked.

Flame sang out again and pecked at his robes. It took him a moment for him to realize exactly what was happening.

"Shit!" He shouted. "Flame, go! Find him!" Flame left immediately.

The cloaked figure then set off out of Dumbledore's office at a run and skidded into the empty hall wall below, racing down the corridor as quickly as his legs could carry him. His footsteps echoing loudly as he ran.

'_Oh God, Harry!'_ The cloaked figure thought. _'I've got to find him before it's too late.'_

"I like it!" Sirius exclaimed loudly.

"It looks much better then before, don't you agree Harry?" Remus asked, admiring their work.

"Defiantly," Harry answered, trying hard not to fall over laughing.

They had total remodelled Snape's office. Instead of the dull and dark color, the place was now a bright pink with red hearts flying everywhere. They had transfigured all the potion ingredients into shampoo and conditioner bottles, which kept dancing on their selves and singing 'Take a shower you slimy git'. They also replaced all the parchment with paper that would insult you instead of keeping what you wrote.

"I think we did quiet well," Sirius said with a huge smile on his face. "Ah nothing like a good prank to start off the holidays, don't you agree Moony?"

Remus nodded. "I think we better leave, though, just in case he comes back." The three made their way out of the office and headed towards the Great Hall.

"So what are we going to do now?" Harry asked.

Sirius shrugged. "I don't know. I would say Quidditch, but the weather outside doesn't look too promising," he said, pointing to a window. He was right; it was really stormy out there.

"Is there anything in particular that you'd like to do?" Remus asked.

Harry shrugged. "Not really. I would like to practice wizard duelling through."

Sirius smiled as they reached the Great Hall. "Well, there we can help you. Why don't you go and get Volume four of Advanced Auror training for the Physical and Mental mind and then come back here. Moony and I will give you a little lesson. Does that sound okay, Moony?"

Remus nodded. "It's fine with me."

"Okay,' Harry answered. "I'll be back in a few minutes." He then ran off down the hall towards Gryffindor Tower.

As he ran round a corner, he smiled. He hadn't had this much fun for a while now. Maybe the holidays weren't going to be nearly as bad as he had originally thought.

He couldn't believe the peace here. No one staring at him or whispering fearfully behind his back, no one avoiding him or treating him as though he was some sort of freak. He sighed. This was much better.

A cold shiver stopped him for proceeding any further and caused him to frown. Something wasn't right here. He could feel it creeping up on him but he didn't have any idea what it could be.

The halls around him were cold and silent, like they usually were during the holidays, but something felt wrong about it all. Something was different.

"Something's not right here," Harry said to himself, as he slowly scanned the hall. He felt like something or someone was there, watching him…waiting.

"_Avucinor Sarco!"_ Harry crumbled to the ground, panting hard. He felt dizzy and sick again, but this time was worst. He felt like something was trying to tear him apart from the inside out.

"_Avucinor Sarco!"_ His scar was burning painfully now and he felt like someone was kicking him over and over again in his stomach. He started to cough up blood.

"_Avucinor Sarco!"_ He wanted to scream out in pain, but found that he couldn't. He couldn't do anything anymore; his body wasn't following his commands. He was total helpless.

The song of the Phoenix interrupted his thought and dulled the pain just enough for him to look up. Flame came gliding down the hall and landed beside him. She cranked her head to the side observing him silently as though she was waiting.

"_Avucinor Sarco!"_ Harry shut his eyes tightly, trying to drown out the pain, but it was no use. He was losing whatever battle he was now fighting.

"Harry?!" Harry tried to open his eyes, but he couldn't. It hurt too much. Someone carefully lifted him up into their lap, trying not to cause him further pain.

"Harry, please answer me," the voice held so much concern and fear for him and Harry was sure that he had heard the voice before. He tried to open his eyes again, this time succeeding. A cloaked figure loomed over him, but Harry could see the man's face. Part of him couldn't believe what he was seeing could possibly be real but another part of him, a deeper part had always known that this man was around…watching him.

"You…you shouldn't…be here," Harry managed to get out, trying to ignore the pain. "He'll …find you and…it'll all be…my…fault."

The cloaked figure wasn't surprised by Harry's reaction at all. He knew that Dumbledore had been premature in thinking Harry wouldn't be able to cope with it, but he knew differently.

"I don't care," he answered Harry. "You're more important."

"_Avucinor Sarco!"_ Harry shut his eyes and bit down on his lip so hard that it bled. Something was tearing at him, dragging him away. But what was doing all this to him?

"Harry?!" The cloaked figure said in alarm.

Harry opened his eyes again and looked up at the man. His eyes were glowing green. "It…it was you," Harry answered simply.

"What?" the cloaked figure asked confused.

Harry stared up at him with knowing green eyes. "When I was lonely…or afraid. When I thought…there was nothing left…it was you that was…always there."

The cloaked figure merrily nodded. He didn't know what to say. He could feel Harry slipping away and he didn't know what he could do.

Harry gripped the figures cloak tightly as another wave of pain swept through him. He wasn't going to be able to hold on much longer.

"Harry?!"

Harry answered by burying his head in the man's cloak. The man held him close.

"I'm …sor…ry…da…" Harry's grip loosened and his head fell to one side.

The cloaked figure looked panic stricken. "Harry? Harry?!" he yelled, shaking him. Harry didn't response. The man quickly checked Harry's pulse and sighed in relief when he found it, strong and steady.

"Oh God, Harry," he gently lifted Harry into his arms and began to head for the hospital wing, Flam on his shoulder. He was walking so quickly that his hood fell, revelling his face.

James Potter held his son close for the first time in fourteen years and as he neared the hospital wing, he had but one thought on his mind: _'Stay with me, Harry. Just hold on. I lost you before, I refuse to let you leave me now!'_


	20. Time and Sorrow

**AN:** Yeah, my editor finally sent me back this chapter! Now you guys can read it! Hope you enjoy it. The next chapter should be out soon. I've just been re-adjusting scenes and things within the next few chapters so I have to make sure everything still flows smoothly. Should be done soon though. Anyways, enjoy!

* * *

– Chapter Nineteen –

**Time and Sorrow**

_"Lucky the ground was so soft."_

_"I thought he was dead for sure."_

_"But he didn't even break his glasses."_

_Harry could hear the voices whispering, but they made no sense whatsoever. He didn't have a clue where he was or how he'd got there. The last thing he remembered was that he had been head to Gryffindor Tower to get one of his dueling books because Sirius thought it'd be great to give him so extra practice. But he couldn't quite remember what had happened after that. All he did know, however, was that every inch of him was aching as though it had been beaten._

_"That was the scariest thing I've ever seen in my life."_

_Scariest… the scariest thing… What had happened? Had Voldemort attacked and knocked him out or something?_

_Harry's eyes snapped open. He was lying in the hospital wing, no surprise there. The Gryffindor Quidditch team, spattered with mud from head to foot, was gathered around his bed. Ron and Hermione were there also, looking as though they'd climbed out of a swimming pool. But there was something very different and wrong with each and every one of them. They all seemed… younger._

_"Harry!" said Fred, who looked extremely white underneath the mud. "How're you feeling?"_

_Harry's mind was in a whirl. He had no clue whatsoever of what was going on. What happened? What were all of them doing here? Weren't they still on Christmas beak? And if something had happened, where was Sirius? He would usually be here when he wakes up._

_"What happened?" he said, sitting up so suddenly they all gasped._

_"You feel off," said Fred. "Must've been – what – fifty feet?"_

_"We thought you'd died," said Alicia, who was shaking._

_Hermione made a small, squeaky noise. Her eyes were extremely bloodshot._

_"What?" said Harry, fully confused. What were they talking about? "What happened?"_

_For a moment, no one said anything. Hermione was the one to finally find her voice. "Don't you remember Harry? The match against Hufflepuff. You guys have been training for the match for almost ever. Don't you remember what happened? The Dementors?"_

_Harry stared at her dumbfounded for a moment. Match against Hufflepuff… a Dementor attack. But that can't be. That was two years ago, wasn't it?_

_The look everyone saw on Harry's face made them think he had remembered, so they continued. "We lost. Diggory got the snitch." Said George. "Just after you fell. He didn't realize what had happened. When he looked back and saw you on the ground, he tried to call it off. Wanted a re-match. But they won fair and square… even Wood admits it."_

'Oh God. Cedric…'_ he thought sadly. They were talking about him. Harry couldn't handle this. What was happening? Why was he here? Maybe it was a dream? Some very weird dream. "Where is Wood?" said Harry, still confused. He was trying to figure out what had happened. Maybe that might help him._

_"Still in the showers," said Fred. "We think he's trying to drown himself."_

_Harry put his face to his knees, his hands gripping his hair. Fred grabbed his shoulder and shook it roughly._

_"C'mon, Harry, you've never missed the snitch before."_

_"There had to be one time you didn't get it," said George._

_"It's not over yet," said Fred. "We lost by a hundred points, right? So if Hufflepuff lose to Ravenclaw and we beat Ravenclaw and Slytherin…"_

_"Hufflepuff'll have to lose by at least two hundred points," said George._

_"But if they beat Ravenclaw…"_

_"No way, Ravenclaw are too good. But if Slytherin lose against Hufflepuff…"_

_"It all depends on the points – a margin of a hundred either way –"_

_Harry just sat there, not saying a word. How could this be? He was back in his Third Year. He had lost two years of his life. But how? How could all this be happening? It wasn't possible. Unless it was a time-turner, but that couldn't be it either. There would be two Harry's here if that were the case, not just him._

_After ten minutes or so, Madam Pomfrey came over to tell the team to leave him in peace._

_"We'll come see you later," Fred told him. "Don't beat yourself up, Harry, you're still the best seeker we've ever had."_

_The team trooped out, trailing mud behind them. Madam Pomfrey shut the door behind them, looking disapproving. Ron and Hermione moved nearer to Harry's bed._

_"Dumbledore was really anger," Hermione said in a quaking voice. "I've never seen him like that before. He ran onto the pitch as you fell, waved his wand, and you sort of slowed down before you hit the ground. Then he whirled his wand at the Dementors. Shot silver stuff at them. They left the stadium straight away… he was furious they'd come into the grounds, we heard him-"_

_"Then he levitated you onto a stretcher," said Ron. "And walked up to the school with you floating on it. Everyone thought you were…"_

_His voice faded away though Harry hardly noticed. He was too preoccupied. How could all this possibly be happening? He was slowly beginning to remember what had happened before he blanked out. He had been on his way up to Gryffindor Tower to get one of his Dueling books. Then he had begun to feel dizzy and sick. He had fallen; he could remember that, but then what happened? Someone had been there with him, calling his name, saying not to leave and to hold on, but who? He couldn't remember. What he could remember was that there had been a drawling, cold voice that had kept repeating the same words over and over again. Now what were they? __Alu… Ardea… Avucinor Sarco._

_He looked up to find that Ron and Hermione were looking at him so anxiously that he tried to remember what he had said to them. He didn't want to involve them in this until he figured out what__ this was._

_"Did someone get my Nimbus?"_

_Ron and Hermione each shot each other a glance._

_"Er-"_

_"What?"__ '_Oh, they're going to know something's up. I can't act like this very well,'_ he thought._

_"Well… when you fell off, it got blown away," said Hermione hesitantly._

_"And?"_

_"And it hit - it hit – oh, Harry – it hit the Whomping Willow."_

'No big surprise there,' _he thought. What he wasn't looking forward too was all the conversation that he'd had. He wasn't sure yet if his being here would change time and if it did change time, then he wanted to keep it to a minimal._

_"And?" he said, trying his hardest to sound like he was dreading the answer._

_"Well, you know the Whomping Willow," said Ron. "It – it doesn't like being hit."_

_"Professor Flitwick brought it back just before you came round," said Hermione in a very small voice._

_She then slowly reached down for a bag by the foot of his bed and turned it upside down. Bits and pieces of his once faithful Nimbus fell out onto the bed in front of him and he tried his best to look devastated. But he really didn't care about that at the moment. He had much bigger problems then a broken broomstick and a silly Quidditch match. He needed to get back home._

* * *

The sun was just starting to set over the grounds of Hogwarts. The snow was glistening in the sun's orangey light and the wind was whistling softly through the trees. But this did nothing to sooth the worries and fears of one man who stood alone by one of the highest windows over looking the grounds.

He stood rigged and still, staring out into the distance, looking at nothing in particular. His mind was a whirl of thoughts and memories, most too terrifying to describe. He wished that he could just banish them all away and start out new, but knew that he couldn't. He was stuck with them. Stuck with the memories of Lily's death and how he had lost Harry. He had lost Harry twice. Once fourteen years ago and now again today.

It was still fresh in his mind. The fear, Harry's ridged form withering in pain, those emerald green eyes staring up at him with love and fear. He had been helpless. He hadn't been able to help Harry. He hadn't been quick enough. If only he had gotten there sooner then maybe he would have been able to stop it.

But he hadn't, just like fourteen years ago; he hadn't been able to prevent it. He had failed Harry again. He could still remember the cries Harry had made as a child when Voldemort had attacked them. They were as clear in his mind as though they had only happened minutes before.

Harry had cried when he had died, then again when Hagrid had pulled him from the house and wouldn't give him to Sirius. Harry had cried out for him and he hadn't been there to answer. He had been… gone… somewhere. Somewhere where there was nothing but a black void and the sounds of Voldemort's laughter and Harry's cries.

He shuddered at the memory. He had almost lost his mind there. It had taken him so long to get back and now he was losing it again. The only thing that had kept him stable all this time was Harry, but he had lost him. And now he had nothing. Nothing to hold onto. Nothing but misery.

"James?" James didn't move, didn't want to move. He just continued to stare out over the grounds, pretending that he didn't know Sirius was there.

Sirius sighed and walked towards James. He had been looking everywhere for him ever since Madame Pomfrey had declared that Harry was… gone. James had swiftly left the hospital wing upon hearing this and disappeared. He, Remus and Dumbledore had been searching everywhere for him, knowing that now was not a good time for James to be left alone.

"James?" Sirius said again, resting a hand on James' shoulder. "It wasn't your fault."

James didn't answer. He just closed his eyes and lend against the window frame, drawing away from Sirius. He wanted to be left alone. He didn't want to hear this from Sirius or anyone else for that matter. It was his fault. He hadn't been fast enough.

"James. Don't block me out. It's not good for you to be alone. You've worked so hard, don't push me away now." Sirius said, trying to get James to answer him.

James kept his eyes shut, but tears began to leak out from under the lids. "He's gone. I… I should have done something."

"You did all you could," Sirius said, gripping James' shoulder and this time he didn't pull away. "Harry could very well be dead now if it wasn't for you."

"He's as good as dead." Said James.

Sirius sighed. "You don't know that. We don't know that. We have no idea what's happening to him. For all we know, he could be having a very pleasant dream."

James shook his head. "How can he be? You didn't see, Sirius. You didn't see him lying there, withering in pain." His voice began to crack with emotion.

"James?" Sirius moved closer, forcing James to open his eyes and look at him. "Stop doing this to yourself. We'll get him back. But we need your help and you won't be able to help Harry at all if you fall back into another depression."

James stared out the window and sighed, trying to believe what Sirius was saying. "I just… I'm just so afraid that I'm going to lose him again. I've missed too much of his life as it is, I don't want to lose him now when I'm so close to having him back in my life."

Sirius nodded. "I know, James. I know. I felt the same way when I had to go into hiding."

James lifted his head to stare into Sirius' eyes. "But, you've at least spent time with him since then."

"Yes," said Sirius, "But not as much as I would have liked. Once I got him out of the Dursleys, we spent the most time together we have had since he was a baby, but those weren't the best times. Harry had been suffering then from all sorts of demons and even now, he still is."

James nodded, closing his eyes again. "I just wish that things hadn't turned out the way they did. Even if the only thing that was different was that you had never gone to Azkaban that would have been enough for me. Harry wouldn't have had to spend ten years with those bastards and he would have been happy."

Sirius nodded. "But, just because he wasn't happy then doesn't mean that he can't be happy now. Once this whole thing is over and we get Harry back, you and he will be able to be happy."

James snorted. "Yeah, that's if Dumbledore finally lets us tell him about me. He may not, you know?"

Sirius rolled his eyes and sighed. "Well, Dumbledore may have some good reason for not telling him, but don't worry, we will tell him before the summer holidays hit."

"You think that will help? Even if Harry knows about me, there's still the issue with the Ministry. Dumbledore doesn't think they'll let me have Harry. They may just send him back to that Uncle of his."

"And if they do, Dumbledore will either find a way to get him away from there, or I'll just have to go in my dog form and pretend to be Harry's new pet."

James chuckled. "Oh, I bet you'd love that. You'd bite off a huge chunk of Vernon the first change you get-"

"Which will probably be right away, knowing how that uncle of his treats him."

James nodded. "I sure hope the Ministry doesn't do anything. I'm Harry's father. They have no right to keep him from me."

Sirius nodded and lend against the other side of the window frame. "Yeah, but you and me both know how much of an idiot Fudge is. He wouldn't listen to me when I delivered Dumbledore's message. He just waved me off as though what I was saying was nothing more then foolish nonsense."

James frowned. "But why wouldn't he let me have Harry? I can't think of a reason why he should keep him from me."

"Fudge thinks Harry's a nutcase, remember. That and he does not want to believe you're you. Besides. Fudge also sees Harry as a threat. Even though he knows what kind of a man Vernon is, he may just send Harry back there to get rid of him."

James sighed and put his head in his hands. "God, I hope not. Harry's been through enough; he doesn't need to be sent back there. If he is sent back there, the first thing I'm going to do is go there and kidnap him. I don't care what Fudge says."

"Well, Remus and I will back you up on that. Hell, that's what him and me were planning on doing this summer, but Dumbledore told us to wait. That man always seems to know everything," Sirius said.

"That's because he does, or if he doesn't he makes an educated guess which ends up being right most of the time," said James, crossing his arms across his chest.

"Hmm…" Sirius nodded. The sun had set now and all that was left was an after glow. The grounds were starting to get dark and the torches inside the castle were starting to pop on.

"So," Sirius said. "Feeling any better, or are you just going to stay here for the rest of your life and sulk?"

James chuckled. "I wasn't sulking."

"Yes, you were," Sirius stated firmly.

"No I wasn't."

"Yes you were."

"No, I wasn't."

"Then what were you doing? I realize this is hard James, but you can't just let go of everything you've worked so hard to gain back. Remus and I won't let you do it." Sirius declared.

"I know," James said solemnly. "I just… I just feel like I've failed Harry… again. I've… barely had any time with him and it seems that in the small amount of time I do have I've screwed up and failed him somehow."

"You've never failed Harry, James. The kid loves you to death. Was I the only one who noticed how he used to cling to you all the time? And even now he still loves you. He talks about you sometimes asking what you were like and how things use to be for him when you were there."

James looked up at Sirius. God, he looked tired. "He did?"

Sirius nodded. "Remus said the same thing. Said that Harry takes it as a compliment when someone says that he's exactly like you."

James was speechless upon hearing this. He had never heard anyone say that. Did Harry really do that? But it was too late to find out now. He was gone. Who knew when they were going to get him back?

Sirius sighed upon seeing the looked on James' face. He could tell James wasn't fully convinced, but to fully convince him that it wasn't his fault would take time. He and Remus would have to work on that. They couldn't afford to lose James like they had almost lost him during the summer. That was the scariest thing Sirius had ever gone through. Not only the shock of his friend being back from the dead, but how close James was to losing it. He never wanted to go through that again.

"Come on," said Sirius, clasping a hand on James' shoulder. "I bet Moony is wondering where the hell we've got too."

James just nodded and let Sirius led him out of the room. He really wasn't in the mood to be out and about even though now that Harry was … well wherever he was, James could actually go out into the halls and out on to the grounds. He just wanted to be alone, but Sirius, being the annoying person he was, wasn't going to let that be possible.

'_Oh well,'_ James thought._ 'I'll just have to dye his hair pink while he's sleeping tonight, that's all.'_

_

* * *

_**AN:** Well, there you go. Hope you enjoyed it. Please leave feed-back for me. Did you like it, hate it. Do you want to see something happen in future chapters or like how the story line is progressing. Let me know. I need to gadge myself. Sorry if I spelt that wrong. We all know I can't spell to save my life. Anyways the next chapter should be out soon, until then...REVIEW!_  
_


	21. The Journal

**AN: **Yeah, I've finally finished another chapter. I know everyone has been waiting a long time for this, and I know you're all sick of excusses so I'm just not going to give any. All I will say is that this chapter should have been out a couple of months ago and the reason that it wasn't was because me new beta, who knows exactly who she is, decided not to give it back to me. Don't worry though, I throttled her. She goes to my school so I can do that. Anyways, without further a do, enjoy!

* * *

– Chapter Twenty –

**The Journal**

Madam Pomfrey insisted on keeping Harry in the hospital wing for the remainder of the weekend. He didn't complain or argue with this, grateful for the extra time to think about what had happened and who he could trust to help him. He couldn't understand why anyone would want to send him back into his third year though. He had a feeling Voldemort was behind it, but why his third year. Why not send him back to relive his fourth year all over again? That would be so much more like Voldemort. It just didn't make any sense.

He had many visitors, all intent on cheering him up, but it did nothing to help. They thought that he was upset about the Quidditch match when really he wasn't. Who could be upset over a silly match that happened two years ago? Harry knew they were going to win the Quidditch cup so he really didn't give a shit.

He still hadn't told anyone about whatever it was that had happened to him. Not even Ron or Hermione. He wasn't sure if he could trust them. Would they think that he was crazy or would they believe him and try to help? The other problem was that he didn't want to screw up the timeline, even though it would be so easy too. If he wanted to, he could march right into their dormitory, grab Wormtail, force him to be himself, then bring him to Dumbledore so that Sirius could be freed. Then wouldn't have to spend the next two summers at the Dursleys, but he couldn't do that.

Harry would lie on his bed in the hospital wing and try to think of whom he could tell. There was no way that he could figure all this out on his own, regardless of how easy studying and research had become for him. He needed to tell someone, but it had to be someone who knew that they had to act normally, as if Harry's little time traveling trip never happened. Oh, but who?

Sirius was the first name to pop into his head, but there was no way for him to reach him. In this time, Sirius is running from the Ministry and is supposedly after him. Dumbledore was keeping a very close eye on him because of Sirius, so it wasn't like he could just walk into the Forbidden Forest and hunt for him, even though he knew that's where he was. The Marauder's Map would have been so useful right about now. Then he could just send a letter to Sirius.

"Damn it, Sirius," he said to himself late one night. "If only people knew you were innocent."

Harry wasn't at all happy when he returned on Monday to the noise and bustle of the main school, where he had to act as though nothing had happened and pretend that he was still devastated over the match. The worst part of it was enduring Draco Malfoy's taunts about how badly Gryffindor had lost.

"If Snape's teaching Defence Against the Dark Arts again, I'm going to be sick," said Ron, as they headed for Lupin's class after lunch.

"He's not," said Harry, not really paying much attention to Ron's ranting.

"What make's you say that? He could be," Hermione said.

Harry felt like slapping himself on the side of the head._ 'I've got to try and be more careful,'_ he thought. "Well, check for yourself then," he said.

Hermione peered around the classroom door.

"Is Lupin there?" asked Ron anxiously.

"He is!" she said.

Professor Lupin was back. Harry noticed that Lupin looked a lot younger then he did in his time. It was really amazing what two years could do. He didn't look nearly as tried or worn out as _his_ Lupin even though there had been a full moon the other night.

As soon as everyone had taken their seats, they all explode into complains about the way Snape treated them while Lupin was away. Harry just drowned them out. At least he hadn't had to relive that little piece of history. He would have shot himself if he had to sit in _that_ Defence lesson.

Harry looked up in time to see Professor Lupin smile at the look of indignation on almost every face.

"Don't worry. I'll speak to Professor Snape. You don't have to do the essay."

'_Too late for Hermione,'_ Harry thought.

"Oh, no" said Hermione, right on cue. "I've already finished it!"

Everyone had a very enjoyable lesson, except for Harry. He already knew about the Hinkypunk. He knew all the answers to Lupin's questions, but didn't answer knowing that he shouldn't know the answers. He guessed that he was just going to have to look for his own things to study so that he wouldn't fall behind his _real_ year.

When the bell rang, everyone gathered their things and headed for the door, except for Harry. Harry had decided that the best person to tell about his problem was Lupin. He was going to hold him back in a second anyways and it would be the perfect time to tell him, but how?

"Wait a moment, Harry," Lupin called. "I'd like a word."

Harry doubled back to Lupin's desk and watch as he put the cover back over the Hinkypunk's box.

"I heard about the match," said Lupin, turning back to his desk and gathering up his papers, "and I'm sorry about your broomstick. Is there any way of repairing it?"

"No," said Harry. "The tree smashed it to bits."

Lupin sighed.

"They planted the Whomping Willow the same year I arrived at Hogwarts. People use to play a game, trying to get near enough to touch the trunk. In the end, a boy named Davey Gudgean nearly lost an eye, and we were forbidden to go near it. No broomstick would have a chance."

Harry stood silent for a moment; try to figure out the best way to tell Lupin. It wasn't every day you told someone that you're from the future and now need their help to get back.

"Did you hear about the Dementor, too?" said Harry, waiting for the perfect moment.

Lupin looked up at him quickly.

"Yes, I did. I don't think any of us have seen Professor Dumbledore that angry. They have been growing restless for some time… furious at his refusal to let them inside the grounds… I suppose they were the reason you fell?"

"Yes," said Harry. Now would be a great time to say something about it. "Re…Professor," he corrected, "can I ask you something?"

"Of course, Harry." Lupin said.

Harry sighed. "Moony roamed again Friday night, didn't he?"

Lupin dropped the papers he had be holding and looked up at Harry in shock. If possible, his skin looked even whiter then before. "What do you know about Moony?"

Harry smiled. "A lot more then you think."

Lupin frowned. "But how could you know? No ones called me that name since-"

"My parents were alive," Harry finished.

Lupin slumped down into his chair looking a lot worst then he had when Harry had come into his class. "How could you know that?"

Harry sighed. "Remus, I know this is hard, but you've got to listen. I know all about you being a werewolf and about your nickname because you told me-"

"But I didn't tell you."

"You're right. You didn't. But you will," said Harry and Lupin looked up at him sharply.

"What?"

"I'm from the future, Remus." Okay now it was out. Harry waited to see what Lupin's reaction would be, but the older man just sat quite still.

"Remus?"

"How?" was all Lupin was able to get out.

"I don't know. I was on my way to Gryffindor Tower to get a book and the next thing I knew I was lying in the Hospital wing surrounded by a very muddy Quidditch team." Harry felt very weird. He was afraid Lupin wouldn't believe him and he so needed to be believed. If Lupin didn't help him, then who would?

Lupin rubbed his face in his hands. "This is impossible. I've never heard of anything like this."

"Then you believe me?" said Harry hopefully.

"I believe you, Harry," said Lupin reassuringly. "I just don't understand how this can be possible. Time travel is only possible through time-tuners as far as I know, and in that case there would be two of you."

"That's what I had thought at first," said Harry.

Lupin stood up from his chair and rounded the desk so that he stood directly in front of Harry. "Harry, I need you to tell me everything you remember just before you woke up in the hospital wing. Don't leave anything out."

Harry nodded. "I was on my way up to Gryffindor Tower to get a Duelling book because you and Professor Black said you'd help me out with some techniques. I was about half way there when I felt very cold and it seem like someone was watching me. Then I heard a voice whisper_ Avucinor Sarco. _I fell, feeling very dizzy and sick. Everything after that gets very blurry. My phoenix Flame came and someone else, but I can't remember who. All I do remember is that whoever was saying those words kept repeating them over and over and over again."

Lupin nodded. "It must be some sort of curse then, though I've never heard of _Avucinor Sarco_ before."

Harry sighed. He had been afraid of that. He hadn't heard of it either and he had read almost a hundred books on curses to study for some of his special courses. "What am I going to do?"

Lupin sighed. "I don't know. I'll help you Harry. There's no way that you can stay here. You could have damaged the timeline already just by speaking to me about this."

"I know," said Harry, "but I had to tell someone. Sirius was my first choice, but then he's supposed to be after-" Harry gasped and cut himself off._ 'Oh, great, now I've done it. Smart move Harry.'_

Lupin just started at him. "Sirius. _Sirius Black!"_

"Remus, calm down. It's not what you think," said Harry. Great, now he had ruined everything

"Harry! Sirius Black betrayed your parents to Voldemort. Then he killed one of our friends, Peter."

"Remus! Sirius didn't do any of that. He was framed. Wormtail was the real traitor. Sirius would never betray my parents or you. He's not after me. He's after Wormtail," said Harry, trying to make Lupin believe him.

"Peter's dead, Harry. Sirius killed him." Lupin leaned heavily against his desk. Harry could tell that this wasn't the kind of thing they should be talking about. It was plain to see that this was a sore subject for him.

"He's not dead. Wormtail betrayed my parents to Voldemort. Voldemort then came to our house where he met his downfall. Wormtail knew that not only would all of Voldemort's supporters be after him, but also Sirius as he was the only other person besides my parents that had known that they switched Secret Keepers. Sirius finally cornered Wormtail in a street full of Muggles. Wormtail, with his wand behind his back, yelled to the whole street how Sirius had betrayed Lily and James and then he blew up the whole street taking twelve Muggles with him. He cut off one of his fingers, turned into a rat and scurried away down the sewers, framing Sirius. Sirius was then taken to Azkaban without a trial. He never had a chance, Remus." Harry explained.

Lupin sat in stunned silence for a moment. Harry wasn't sure how he was taking this. Did he believe him or did he still think Sirius was a traitor who was out to kill Harry.

"They switched?" Lupin said simply.

Harry nodded. "Yes. They didn't tell you because Sirius thought you were the traitor. They didn't tell anyone. It was perfect. The Death Eaters and Voldemort would have believed Sirius to be the Secret Keeper and have gone after him while Wormtail would have been safe. But they didn't think Wormtail could be the traitor for the same reasons you did. He's too weak-minded."

Lupin merrily nodded. "Where's Peter now then?"

Harry sighed. "He's up in the boy's dormitory. Ron keeps him as a pet, but he doesn't know that Scabbers is acutely Wormtail. No one does. They all believe Wormtail to be dead."

Lupin shot his head up. "He's in _your_ dormitory."

"Yes, but leave him be. He's no harm to anyone at the moment. He's the reason why Sirius has been trying to get into Hogwarts. Not to kill me, but to kill Wormtail to protect me," said Harry.

Lupin just shook his head. "I… Sirius… innocent. I never…" he trailed off, not quite knowing what to say.

"He forgives you, Remus. There was no way you could have known. Hell, there's no way I could have known." Harry shook his head and sat down on top of the desk behind him. This conversation was getting a lot more complicated then it was suppose to be.

"How did you find out then?" Lupin asked.

Harry sighed. "I'll tell you cause I know you won't change time. At the end of this year the whole story comes out. Sirius finally gets his hands, or paws acutely on Wormtail. You find out cause you have the Marauder's Map, which you had confiscated from me earlier in the year. We all end up meeting in the Shrieking Shack where you and Sirius explain the whole story."

Lupin nodded. "I still can't believe Sirius is innocent. After all these years."

Harry nodded. "I know. Hell, if Sirius hadn't been thrown in Azkaban, I would have lived with him and I wouldn't have had as bad a life as I've had. Plus, I would have known you my whole life."

Lupin glanced at Harry suspiciously then and Harry couldn't help a smile forming on his face. "Why do I get the feeling that you know more then you're telling me?"

Harry just leaned back against on of the desks and smiled. "Cause I do. Godfathers are hard to come by and it's nice knowing that I have two."

Lupin sighed deeply, running a hand over his face. "Harry, I-"

"Don't worry about it," Harry interrupted. "We've already shorted through all that, or we will I guess is the correct thing to say. Right now though we should focus on trying to get me home. I don't fancy living through this whole year again."

Lupin nodded. "You're right, but Harry, what I don't understand is why you asked me? Why not Dumbledore or Professor McGonagall?"

Harry smiled again. "Because I trust you and I knew you would help me. Ron and Hermione probably wouldn't believe me, thinking I was ill or something, and Dumbledore might believe that I'm an impostor."

Lupin chuckled slightly, going back around his desk to pick up the papers he had dropped earlier. "Well, I'm not sure how much help I can be, but I'll look into it. We don't want to keep your Sirius worrying anymore then he probably already is."

Harry nodded in agreement, grimacing slightly at the thought of Sirius running himself ragged with worry. "I think you're right."

Lupin nodded once again, pulling out a piece of parchment to write a note to Harry's next teacher. "I'll start looking into _Avucinor Sarco_ and maybe it'll turn up something. We may need some help with this, though."

Harry nodded, standing up straight once again and threw the strap of his bag over his shoulder. "I know and that's why I'm going to try and get of hold of the Sirius in this timeline. It's a good bet that he may know something."

Lupin looked up sharply and frowned. "Harry, I'm not sure how comfortable I am of you contacting Sirius. I realize that he's innocent, but he's just spent twelve years in Azkaban and he may not be thinking clearly."

Harry sighed and shook his head. "Sirius will be fine. I know that he's not exactly thinking clearly right now but can you honestly blame him for that. Besides, the reason he broke out of Azkaban was to protect me, I very much doubt that he's going to do me harm now."

Lupin still looked slightly concerned so Harry conceded. "Fine," he said, "if it makes you feel any better, I'll let you know as soon as he's contacted me and you can be there when I meet with him. That way you can keep on eye on him if you wish."

Lupin relaxed slightly and nodded. "Okay, I'll agree to that. However I want you to be careful, Harry. This timeline that you've been thrust back into may not be all that it seems to you."

Harry gazed at Lupin in puzzlement. What could that possibly mean? He shook his head though and just took Lupin's words at face value. "I will," he said.

Lupin nodded and handed Harry his note. "Now you better be off," he said, "You shouldn't keep Snape waiting forever."

Harry sighed and rolled his eyes. "Oh yes, like that would be a great shame."

Lupin chuckled slightly as he snapped the clasps on his suitcase shut.

"Oh well," Harry said, slowly backing out of the classroom, "At least I get the Marauder's Map in a few weeks."

Before Lupin could question him, Harry was gone.

* * *

Sirius sat dejectedly on the side of Harry's bed in the boy's dormitory. Sunlight filtered in through the window and made the atmosphere feel hot and muggy even though it was the middle of the winter. Harry's trunk lay open beside him as he slowly thought about the events that had lead to this.

He wished that he'd never asked Harry to go get that book, or at least he wished that either himself or Remus had gone with him. Then they may have been able to prevent what had happened. As it was they were lucky that James had been able to get to Harry when he did. If James had been any later, they might have lost Harry. Madam Pomfrey had only just been able to stabilize him.

Sirius sighed. He'd much rather be with Harry right now in the hospital wing, but Madam Pomfrey had kicked them all out. She wouldn't even let James in. It was a good thing that Ron and Hermione had gone home this Christmas, otherwise they'd have even more problems.

He pushed a few of Harry's textbooks aside and found a photo album. He slowly flipped through it and watched all the moving pictures of James and Lily with Harry and then Ron and Hermione with Harry. He couldn't help but notice how happy they all looked in the pictures and wished that there was a way to get those happy days back, but he knew there wasn't. Not until Voldemort was stopped.

Sirius closed the book and threw it down onto the bed. He felt utterly useless right now. He couldn't help his Godson at all. All they've been able to do was watch how things were progressing in Harry's mind.

He sighed and tried to calm himself down. He couldn't afford to get all worked up at the moment. They still had a war to fight as well as to try and help Harry. He knew there were far too many things at stake for him to lose it now.

He looked back down into the trunk and saw something that made him frown slightly in puzzlement. There was a little marbled colour book with golden letters that spelled out 'Journal', but that's not what caught Sirius's eye. What surprised him was the fact that there were bloodstains on the front.

He frowned slightly as he picked the book up in his hands. The cover was rough, a sure sign that it had been handled many times. The spine was cracked and as he flipped it over he saw that there were more bloodstains on the back. Some of the stains seemed to be much older than others.

Sirius had an uneasy feeling in his stomach. Why would Harry's journal be in such a condition? He knew what had happened at the Dursleys', but he hadn't believe that anything could have been this bad. He also new that anything that had been written in the Journal was none of his business, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something was very wrong with this picture and he knew that the answer lay in this little book.

Slowly, he opened the book a few pages and stared opened-mouthed at what he saw. This was nothing like he had expected to see.

There were pictures, but not just any pictures. There were pictures of dead bodies, green flashes, Death Eaters, Dementors, burning houses, and so many other horrible things.

Sirius started flipping through the book. There were more pictures, but now they were surrounded by poems, unsent letters, journal entries and thoughts. He stopped and read one of the Journal entries.

**July 8, 1995**

**He's started it again. The beatings, the hits that make me feel like I just want to curl up and die. He had come home drunk again, like that was a surprise. He was always drunk these days it seemed. Blamed me for all the trouble he was having with his drilling company. I sometimes wish that I were the source of his problems, so that I'd know that I had actually done something to provoke his rage.**

**I've gotten use to it all by now though. I can hardly feel the pain when he hits me. I just lie there, hopping that it would soon come to an end. After the beatings, I'll just lie there for a while. As long as I don't make a noise, he won't come back and I'll be able to have a few moments of peace, but I deserve what I'm getting. I deserve every last hit, every last punch. I sometimes think I'm getting off easy, especially after what I've done.**

**But beating me isn't the only things he does. I hardly ever get fed anymore. My Uncle also makes me do all the housework, as if I hadn't been doing it all before. I could live with all that though. It's what he and the rest of them call me now that I can't deal with. They call me a murderer.**

**Yes, he knows. Dumbledore must have sent them a letter, telling them all about the Tournament and Cedric…**

**Now I never hear the end of it. Them calling me a murderer, saying that I killed Cedric, that I'm worthless and that everyone would be so much better off if I were dead, or better yet, that I had never been born. I'm beginning to think that maybe their right. Everyone that I care about has suffered because of me. My Parents are dead because of me, Sirius was sent to Azkaban because of me, Cedric's dead…**

Sirius felt like blasting Vernon into another universe. How dare he do that to Harry? Obviously what he had seen over the summer when he had picked Harry up was just the beginning of it. He wondered how long this had been going on? Was it just this summer, or had it been Harry's whole life?

But the worst part of it was that Harry believed him. He believed every single word that that basterd had said to him. God damnit, they shouldn't have left him there. He shouldn't have left him there. He should have tried harder to make sure Harry hadn't gone back to the Durselys, especially after everything that had happened last year.

He flipped a few pages and stopped when two words caught his eye. 'Kill myself'.

**July 12, 1995**

**I tried again today, but couldn't bring myself to do it. I know that everyone would be better off without me and I know that the people I care about would be safe if I weren't around. Something keeps stopping me though and I don't really know how to describe it. I just get this feeling of warmth and comfort when I feel like I should just end everything and I feel that I can no longer do it because of that warm feeling.**

Sirius smiled a little at that. He knew that that must have been James's doing. His friend had said that at the beginning of the summer he had felt that something was wrong with Harry and he had been right. It's a good thing that he had been able to get through to his son; otherwise they might have lost Harry. He turned back to the page:

I know that there's something happening whenever I get that feeling. Like a part of me has been missing or buried and it's finally come to the surface. I can't really describe what it feels like or how I feel when I feel it, but it makes me feel as if I should go on, try to fight against what's happening with my Uncle.

**Is that selfish? I'm not exactly sure. I'm not sure about a lot of things anymore. Sometimes I'm not sure people even care about me at all. I think that's what the Durselys want though, to forget that there are people out there who care about what happens to me.**

**I'm starting to forget though and I always have to concentrate hard to remember about the people who care about me. Sirius, Remus, Hermione, Ron, the whole Wesley family. Even Dumbledore cares.**

**I know that they care about me, especially Sirius. I know that if he could, he'd get me out of this hell, but that can't happen. It's just a dream for me. Sirius is still on the run from the Ministry and I know that he'd come if I asked by I can't do that. Sirius could get caught and I can't let that happen. It's bad enough that I let him come back last year when he had been safe living on some tropical island somewhere.**

**I've already lost my parents; I'm not going to lose my Godfather as well**.

Sirius sighed deeply. This was what Harry had thought? Why couldn't the boy understand that he means the world to him? Sirius would gladly give his life to save Harry's any day. Not because he was the Boy Who Lived, but because he was the closest thing that Sirius had to a son and Sirius was pretty sure that Harry was the closest he'd ever get to having a family.

That wasn't the only thing on his mind though. Harry had come far too close to committing suicide. Sirius was surprised that he would even think about it. _'Those damn Durselys are going to pay for this,'_ he thought to himself angrily.

Sirius looked back at the book and read some more. Everything he read made him feel even guiltier for leaving Harry with those people. He read one poem Harry had written that made his stomach curl.

**It lay there, silent and innocent,**

**Gleaming in the soft moonlight.**

**The blade that could end my pain.**

**It could easily slide into the skin of my wrist,**

**Blood tricking down to pool on the floor.**

**I deserve it and my pain will finally end.**

**If I go through with this one single act**

**Then I will no longer hurt anyone…anymore.**

"Oh God, Harry," Sirius said. Harry shouldn't have been able to write stuff like this.

"Sirius?" Sirius turned around to see James standing by the door. He looked tired and worn out, but he had concern in his eyes as he gazed at Sirius' hunched form.

"Padfoot, what's wrong?" he asked, seeing the look on Sirius's face.

Sirius sighed. He wasn't sure if he should tell James about this.

"How's Harry?" He asked, trying to change the subject.

James frowned even more. "He's the same as before. Unresponsive. Dumbledore thinks he might know what's happening, but you didn't answer my question. What's wrong?"

Sirius shook his head and stood. Harry was James's son. He had a right to know what he had found.

He joined James at the door and held out the book, "I think you better take a look at this."

James frowned but took the book, looking down at it in confusion. He opened it and his eyes widened at what he saw. He looked back up at Sirius who just gestured to the book.

"Read it," he said softly.

James turned back to the book and read some of what Harry had written. After a few minutes he turned back to Sirius, looking shocked.

Sirius just nodded, looking sad. "You were right when you said that you knew something was wrong with Harry."

James swallowed hard. "Yes, but I never suspected anything this bad."

"No one did," Sirius answered.

James looked up at Sirius hopefully. "Is there anything we can do about it?"

Sirius sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know. This better not be told to anyone else cause I know Harry wouldn't appreciate that. I only told you because Harry's your son."

James nodded in agreement. He handed the book back to Sirius and sighed.

"You're going to have to deal with this one on your own. Dumbledore thinks that when we get Harry back he won't remember that he saw me and that it'd be best if I just stay away from him for the time being," he replied sadly.

Sirius put a reassuring hand on his friends shoulder. "He might. You never know."

James nodded. "I sure hope so. I'm worried about him, Sirius, and I'm afraid I'm just going to lose him again."

Sirius nodded. "I understand, but try not to worry yourself too much. We're not going to lose Harry, okay?"

Ames smiled. "I really have missed you, Padfoot."

Sirius smirked. "Not nearly as much as I've missed you, Prongs."

They hugged for a moment. Then Sirius pulled away, smiling. "Come on, I'm sure Moony's wondering where we've gotten too." And with that they left the room, leaving Harry's things strewn across his bed.

* * *

Two weeks before the end of the term, the sky lightened suddenly to a dazzling, opaline white and the muddy grounds were revealed one morning covered in glittering frost. Inside the castle, there was a buzz of Christmas in the air. Professor Flitwick had already decorated his classroom with shimmering lights that turned out to be real, fluttering fairies. The students were all happily discussing their plans for the holidays. Both Ron and Hermione decided to remain at Hogwarts, though Harry didn't bother thinking about their excuses. He hardly bothered thinking about the Christmas holidays at all, in fact.

So when another Hogsmead trip was announced to be on the very last weekend of the term, he didn't think much of it. They only thing that he was happy about was the fact that the students would mostly be gone over the holidays and he'd be left mostly alone, which gave him time to try and figure out his situation.

"We can do all our Christmas shopping there!" Hermione said excitedly. "Mum and Dad would really love those Tooth-flossing Stringmints from Honeydukes!"

To keep up appearances, Harry still borrowed a copy of _Witch Broomstick_ from Wood saying that he wanted to read up on the different makes, when in reality he didn't care in the slightest. He was getting a Firebolt for Christmas from Sirius so what was the point in researching broomsticks. What was the point in doing anything anymore?

On the Saturday morning of the Hogsmead trip, Harry bid goodbye to Ron and Hermione, who were wrapped in cloaks and scarves, and then turned up the marble staircase alone, heading back towards Gryffindor Tower. Snow had started to fall outside the windows, and the castle was very still and quiet.

"Psst-Harry!"

Harry turned, halfway along the Third-floor corridor and sighed when he saw Fred and George peering out at him from behind the statue of the one-eyed witch. _'I really don't care anymore about this,'_ Harry thought to himself sadly as he stepped closer to the twins.

"What are you doing?" He asked, trying his hardest to act curious. He had gotten fairly good at acting over the past few weeks. "How come you're not going to Hogsmead?"

"We've come to give you a bit of festive cheer before we go," Fred said, with a mysterious wink. "Come in here…"

He gestured towards an empty classroom to the left of the one-eyed witch. Harry followed the Twins inside; trying his hardest not to laugh at how ridiculous all of this was to him. He almost wished he could record the whole event and show _his_ Twins.

"Early Christmas present for you, Harry," George said, closing the classroom door behind them.

Fred pulled the Marauder's Map out from his cloak with a flourish and laid it on one of the desks. Harry almost rolled his eyes with how bored he was becoming. If Voldemort had put him here to bore the pants off of him, he had sure done a great job.

"What's that suppose to be?" Harry said, with a little bit more attitude then he'd meant too.

"This, Harry, is the secret to our success," George said, patting the parchment fondly.

"It's a wrench, giving it to you," Fred said, "but we decided last night, your need is greater than ours."

"Anyways, we know it all off by heart," George said. "We bequeath it to you. We don't really need it anymore."

"And what exactly do I need with a bit of old parchment?" Harry said. _'We'll I can actually think of lost of things I can do with the Map, but I wouldn't tell you two that,'_ Harry thought.

"A bit of old parchment!" Fred said, closing his eyes with a grimace as though Harry had mortally offended him. "Explain, George."

"Well…when we were in our first year, Harry – young, carefree and innocent-"

Harry snorted. Okay yes he had heard this all before, but it was still funny hearing Fred and George call themselves innocent, and he had a lot of blackmail material thanks to Ron and Mrs. Weasley to prove it.

"-well, more innocent then we are now – we got into a spot of trouble with Filch."

_'When are you guys not in trouble with Filch,' _Harry thought to himself, missing a bit of what Fred and George were saying.

"-Detention-"

"-Disembowelment-"

"-and we couldn't help noticing a drawer in one of his filing cabinets marked _confiscated and highly dangerous."_

"Don't tell me-" Harry said, starting to grin slightly at their antics.

"Well, what would you've done?" Fred said and Harry just raised an eyebrow at him. "George caused a diversion by dropping another Dungbomb; I whipped the drawer open and grabbed – this."

"It's not as bad as it sounds, you know," George replied. "We don't reckon Filch ever found out how it worked. He probably suspected what it was, though, or he wouldn't have confiscated it."

"And you now how to work it?" Harry answered, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Oh yes," said Fred smirking. "This little beauty's taught us more than all the teachers in this school."

"You're winding me up,' Harry replied, inwardly laughing at how much he was denying what the twins were saying.

"Oh, are we?" George said.

He took out his wand, touched the parchment lightly and said, "_I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."_

Harry watch silently and was not surprised when lines spread from George's wand, crossing and touching until words began to form at the top in great, curly green words that proclaimed:

**Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs**

**Purveyors of Aids to Magical Mischief-Makers**

**are proud to present**

**THE MARAUDER'S MAP**

The map was exactly how Harry remembered it. Every corridor and secret passage was shown along with everyone that was still in the school. Harry was happy to see that Peter was nowhere to be seen. Ron must have taken him with him.

"Right into Hogsmead," Fred said, tracing one of the secret passageways with his finger. "There are seven in all. Now, Filch knows about these four-" He pointed out, "-but we're sure we're the only ones who know about _these_. Don't bother with the one behind the mirror on the fourth floor, though. We used it until last winter, but it's caved in – completely blocked. And we don't reckon anyone's ever used this one, because the Whomping Willow's planted right over the entrance."

_'And for a very good reason,'_ Harry thought to himself, nodding his head at what Fred was telling him.

"But this one here. This one leads right into the cellar of Honeydukes. We've used it loads of times. And as you might've noticed, the entrance is right outside this room, through that one-eyed old crone's hump."

"Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs," George sighed, patting the heading of the map. "We own them so much."

"Noble men, working tirelessly to help a new generation of law-breakers," Fred said solemnly.

'Right," George said briskly, "don't forget to wipe it after you've used it-"

"-or anyone can read it," Fred finished, warningly.

"Just tap it again and say _Mischief Managed!_ And it goes blank."

"So, young Harry," Fred said, in an uncanny impersonation of Percy, "mind you behave yourself."

"See you in Honeydukes," George said, winking.

They left the room, both smirking in a satisfied sort of way.

Harry waited until he couldn't hear them anymore before flopping down into a near-by chair with a big sigh. He was getting fairly tired of all this. He just wanted to go home.

"Argh!" he smacked his head against the desk. He still had to go to Hogsmead as well so that he could hear the conversation about Sirius being his Godfather.

"Screw it," Harry said angrily, raising his head and pulling the map closer to himself. He knew that whatever was happing around him couldn't be what it seemed to be, which his third year was playing out. He knew that it couldn't be as he knew he'd let things slip over the pass few weeks and had done things slightly differently, and yet time hadn't changed and neither had his memories of the events.

He looked down at the map and watched for a moment as Dumbledore continued to pace in his office and Mrs. Norris was sniffing something around on the fourth floor. Then the little dot labelled Remus Lupin caught his attention. It was sitting in his office behind his desk. Maybe he should go have a chat with Lupin. At least that way he wouldn't have to put on a face and he could just be himself without having to act.

Quite suddenly, as though following orders, he rolled up the map, stuffing it inside his robes, and hurried to the door of the classroom. He opened it a couple of inches. There was no one outside.

He slowly slipped through the door and then stared down the hallway towards Lupin's office. It didn't take him long to get there as he was already on the third floor.

He stood in front of the oak door and knocked. He heard some coughing before a weak voice answered, "Come in."

Harry slowly opened the door to see Lupin behind a pile of what looked like Fifth-year essays. He looked pale and tired but he smiled at Harry softly.

Harry sighed. "Full moon soon?"

Lupin nodded at Harry. "Unfortunately," he coughed again as Harry shut the door. Lupin frowned. "How come you're not in Hogsmead with everyone else?"

Harry flopped down into a chair in front of the desk. "I didn't have a permission form. Plus I need a break. I'm tired of acting like there's nothing wrong. Besides, I'm not even sure if this really is my third year. I've changed some things by accident, but it hasn't seemed to affect the timeline."

Lupin nodded, taking a sip of his tea. "It would seem unlikely that you actually traveled back in time, however I can't really answer that question for you. If this isn't your third year then I'm nothing more then a figment in your mind."

Harry leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and frowning slightly. "But if you're just in my mind, why are you helping me. Are you something my mind's created to help me or are you Voldemort's doing.'

Again, Lupin just shrugged. "I can't answer that, Harry. You'll either have to trust what I'm saying or ignore it. It's you're choice. The same goes for Sirius when you get a hold of him."

Harry nodded, thinking hard. Maybe this world he now found himself in was his mind trying to protect itself against Voldemort. It would make sense. His Third Year was the best year of his life that he could remember and he felt comfortable here. Plus Voldemort could affect some of the people he knew to try and stop Harry from getting away, but people like Lupin and hopefully Sirius were manifestations of his mind trying to guide him along and out of this place.

"Have you found anything on the curse?" Harry asked after a moment, looked back up at Lupin again.

Lupin nodded. "I wasn't able to find any record of it anywhere so far, though I'm still looking. I've tried translating it, as most of our spells and curses have a basis in Latin."

Harry waited a moment, but Lupin didn't continue. "And? Did you find anything?"

Lupin put his head in his hands and rubbed his eyes slowly for a moment. "I've been able to come up with a rough translation for it, though it doesn't give me much to go on. _Sarco_ literally means sleep and _Avucinor_ roughly means dreamer's, however it's not a direct translation so it could be wrong."

Harry frowned softly. "The Dreamer's Sleep?"

"Exactly," Lupin said, looking up. "Not much to go by."

Harry sighed deeply. "Figures."

Lupin took another sip of his tea. "There's a few volumes by your feet there that may help us if you want to start looking through them. I've got to get the rest of these essay's done and then I'll help."

Harry nodded, reaching down to pick up one of the heavy books. "Sounds like a plan." And so for the rest of the day, they worked.

* * *

**AN:** All I can say now is for you to review. I'm not going to say that I'll get the next chapter out soon cause I honestly fon't know. I have a lot on my plate right now. I'll try though, that's all I can promise. REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW!  



	22. Meeting 'Sirius Black' Part One

**AN: **Okay guys, here's the deal. The chapter below isn't entirely completed, but I know I've kept you guys waiting forever. As someone who reviewed just pointed out to me, I haven't updated in a year and there's a very good reason for that. I honesty have the whole story mapped out and I also have almost all the chapters written out on lose leaf. I think I have about four more chapters to write. My problem however is this: I moved over the summer and the lose leaf papers with the story on it are in a binder sitting in the basement of my Father's house. I'll try and get him to send it to me as soon as possible and if that doesn't work I'll try my best to remember what I had written and get something else out to you.

So the following is an early Christmas present I guess for being so patience and waiting. I also have another bit of business I wanted to talk to you guys about, but I'll go over that in the next chapter or the revisited version of this one once I finally get it all written and reposted.

Anyways, enjoy!

* * *

– Chapter Twenty-One –

**Meeting 'Sirius Black'**

Ron and Hermione watched Harry nervously all through diner, which annoyed Harry to no ends. He hadn't gone to Hogsmead and over heard the conversation about Sirius, but it seemed Ron and Hermione still remembered it.

When they went upstairs to the crowded common room, it was to find that Fred and George had set off half-a-dozen Dungbombs in a fit of end-of-term spirit. Harry, who didn't want to really talk to anyone right now, especially Fred and George, and because he wanted to avoid Ron and Hermione, sneaked quietly to the empty dormitory and headed straight for bed.

He was mentally exhausted. Even though he could do what he wanted and say what he wanted with Lupin, he was still tired from the countless hours of research they had done. They were still no closer to finding an answer then they had been when they had started. Lupin found some information on a case of the curse being performed over a century ago, but they didn't keep a detailed account of it and it had only said that the victim hadn't survived.

"What am I going to do?" Harry asked himself, quietly as he lay on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. He wanted to go home, back to his time. He missed Sirius. It would still be a while yet before he could get in touch with the one here. He thought the best time would be when Sirius breaks into Gryffindor Tower and tries to kill Peter, but that wouldn't happen 'til the next Quidditch match. He really didn't want to wait that long.

He rolled over and sighed. Maybe he could send on owl to him. Sirius was supposed to be in the Forbidden Forest somewhere. Maybe Hedwig could get to him. He'd have to tell Hedwig what to look for however, but that was simple, just a big, black, shaggy dog.

Harry sat up in his bed. That's exactly what he would do. Owl Sirius. It was brilliant and he couldn't believe that he hadn't thought of it before now.

Getting out of bed, Harry knelt down in front of his bedside cabinet and began rummaging through it for a spare bit of parchment and some ink. Once he found some, he sat back against the side of his bed and began to write. It took him a few tries to get the wording right as he was sure this was probably the most difficult letter he had ever had to write. How did you tell your Convicted Godfather that you knew he was innocent, that he was in fact your Godfather and that you're from the future in need of his help? Not exactly an easy task.

He sat back after twenty minutes and a couple of pieces of parchment later and read over his finished letter.

_Dear Padfoot,_

_This may sound slightly mad but, I'm you're Godson, Harry Potter, and I know that you innocent. I know that it was Peter who betrayed my parents and not you. I know about the switch in Secret Keepers and what really happened between you and Peter in that street full of Muggles._

_The reason I know all this I can't explain in a letter. I need to speak to you. I swear that this isn't a trick from the Ministry of Dumbledore to lure you out of hiding. If it were a trick, how would I know all that stuff about Peter? Please owl me back with a reply._

_Your Godson,_

_Harry_

_P.S I told Moony you were innocent and he'll meet with you as well_.

"That will have to do," Harry said. "I just hope that Sirius will believe it."

He stood and went over towards Hedwig, who was perched on the windowsill, watching him curiously. He guessed that she just wanted to spend some time with him or something since it wasn't often that she came here instead of going to the Owley.

"I need you to get this to a man named Sirius Black. He's in the Forbidden Forest, most likely in the form of a big black dog, okay?" Harry said as he tied the letter to her leg. She nipped his finger affectionately and then took flight and soared out the open window.

Harry watched her for a moment until she disappeared into the darkness of the forest and the flopped down on his bed, closing his eyes. He hoped that thus worked. He got up and changed then got into bed, took his glasses off and made sure that the hangings were hiding him from view just in time.

The dormitory door opened.

"Harry?" Ron's voice called uncertainly.

Harry didn't feel like talking so he pretended to be asleep. He heard Ron leave and then rolled over onto his back, his eyes wide open.

He was wondering why he had never thought to tell Ron and Hermione about what was happening, but then thought about what he had Lupin had discussed. If all this was in his mind, then he had to be very careful about who he decided to trust. Anyone of his friends could really be Voldemort in disguise or they could be created by his own mind to protect him. At that moment the only person he was sure about was Lupin. He wasn't even sure about Sirius yet. _Guess I'll have to wait and see about that one,_ he thought, sighing slightly.

Whatever happened, he knew he'd have to be extra careful. Voldemort could be anyone.

* * *

Sirius sat beside Harry's still form in the hospital wing, James beside him, asleep in a chair. The night was fairly dark and gloomy, the almost full moon being obscured by cloud cover. The hospital wing was dark and quiet, the only sounds being from James, who was snoring slightly, and Harry, whose breath was coming in short, raspy, gasps. 

He shook his head, sighing deeply as he took hold of Harry's hand. None of them were sure what had happened to Harry. They all had their suspicions, but they didn't have any hard evidence and until they figured out exactly what was going on, there was very little that they could do for him.

Sirius began to slowly study Harry's feature, hoping that Harry might reacted and give a sign that he was still in there; that he was trying to wake up. Hid breathing was coming in short, quick gasps; his jet black hair was stuck to his sweaty forehead and his scar was red and puffy. He looked so ill and Sirius could hardly believe that Harry was even alive at all sometimes he looked so fragile.

Sirius bowed his head, clutching Harry's hand between his own. How long had Harry been like this now? He lost count of the many hours that he had spent by this bedside sometimes. It was already February. The students had all been informed of the situation to a point and certain clubs like Quidditch and the Duelling Club had been cancelled until further notice. Sirius was slightly grateful for that as he knew that the Gryffindor team wouldn't want to play without their captain and seeker and he was having a hard enough time dealing with his class and he knew that he'd never be able to get through a Duelling lesson.

Sirius jumped slightly when he felt Harry tighten his grip. He looked up at the boy hopefully and sure enough, Harry's whole face was scrunched up as though he was fighting with all his might to just open his eyes.

"Harry?" Sirius said. The response he got was that Harry squeezed his hand slightly. Sirius moved closer.

"Come on, Harry. Open your eyes."

At his words Harry's eyes cracked open a little. Sirius could see so much pain and determination in those eyes.

"Sir...ius?" Harry struggled to say. He was finding it too hard to talk or even keep his eyes open. He could feel that something was trying to pull him back under; pull him back into that world that was created in his mind, but he fought it with all the strength he had. He didn't want to go back. He wanted to stay right here, with Sirius.

Sirius smiled. "It's me, Harry, but don't try to talk, alright. You'll just drain your strength."

Harry shook his head slowly. "I…have…to tell y…you somethi…thing."

Sirius frowned, gripping Harry's hand tightly. They were going to lose him again. He could feel Harry slipping. "What is it, Harry?"

"Voldemort…did…this," Harry swallowed hard, trying to get some moisture into his throat. "The…curse is…_Avucinor…Sarco._"

"_Avucinor Sarco?_" Sirius asked, making sure he heard Harry correctly.

Harry nodded.

Sirius felt his heart sink down into the pit of his stomach. He had to tell Dumbledore about this. He knew exactly what _Avucinor Sarco_ did and they needed to start trying to find a way to help Harry now or they could lose him.

Harry's relaxing grip brought Sirius back to the present. "Harry?"

Harry's eyes slide shut and his head rolled to one side. He was gone again.

Sirius eyes teared up as he brushed away a lock of his Godson's hair. "You just keep on fighting, Harry. Just keep on fighting."

* * *

"Harry, you-you look terrible." 

Harry sighed deeply as he came the rest of the way down the stairs. _That's because I didn't exactly get a lot of sleep last night,_ however he did feel slightly better then he had when he had gone to bed. He had gotten home last night. It had only been for a moment but he had seen Sirius and had let his Godfather know what was happening. Hopefully they could do something from their end now that they knew.

"Where is everyone?" Harry asked, glancing around the deserted common room as he reached the bottom.

"Gone! It's the first day of the holidays, remember?" Ron said excitedly, watching Harry closely from where he was perched on the arm of one of the chairs. "It's nearly lunchtime, I was going to come and wake you up in a minute."

Harry slummed into an armchair next to the fire. Snow was still falling outside the windows. Crookshanks was spread out in front of the fire like a large, ginger rug.

"You really don't look well, you know," Hermione said, peering anxiously into his face. Harry thought that she might go as far as to check his forehead in a moment.

"It's not what you think," Harry sighed, rubbing his eyes with his hand."

"Harry, listen," Hermione said, exchanging a look with Ron, "You must be really upset about what we heard yesterday. But the thing is, you mustn't go doing anything stupid."

Harry just gave her a look. _Oh to hell with it all,_ he thought. "What are you going on about?"

Hermione and Ron shared another look. "What we overheard about Black," Ron continued. "That he betrayed you parents."

Harry sighed and covered his eyes with a hand. God, he really didn't need this right now. He wished that he wasn't even having this stupid conversation.

"I don't care about Black, Ron," he replied, rolling his tongue over how strange it felt to refer to Sirius as 'Black'.

"You can't fool us that easily," Ron answered sharply.

Harry just remained silent to Ron's reply and stared into the flames. Was there anyway out of this conversation? Probably not. He couldn't think of one without it seeming too suspicious.

"Harry?" Hermione peered into his face again.

Harry just put his head in his hands. "Look, I'm not going after Sirius Black, alright. I've got plenty to do already, much more important things really, then chasing after an innocent man."

Both Ron and Hermione started at him in puzzlement now. "Blimey," Ron replied. "I don't know how much sleep you got last night, mate, but surely you remember what McGonagall, Hargid and Fudge said about Black yesterday. Basted sounds anything but innocent."

Harry grew angry all of a sudden and stood to face his 'friends'. He was tempted to whip his wand out but thought better of it. "_Don't_ call Sirius that again, Ron," he warned, his emerald eyes burning in rage.

Ron took a step back in alarm. "Sorry," he muttered, while Hermione just stared at Harry as if he had gone mad.

"Harry, what on Earth is wrong with you? Granted I'm happy to hear that you won't do something stupid and try and find Black, but that man betrayed your parents. Surely you're not going to start defending him," Hermione questioned.

"Sirius didn't betray my parents," Harry answered, throwing caution to the wind. "Someone else did."

"Who?" Hermione asked.

Harry shook his head. "I don't have time for this," he muttered, heading towards the portrait hole.

"Harry-" Hermione called after him, but he ignored her and just kept walking. Once he was a few feet away from the portrait hole, he broke into a run. He didn't want them to follow him, as he was not in the mood to continue the discussion they had just had or to fight with them. It was no use anyways.

He kept running until he was outside by the lake. The air was cold, but Harry didn't care much. He just collapsed by the lake into a pile of snow and sighed heavily, trying to dispel the rest of his anger.

He was just so tired of it all. He was sick of being trapped in his mind, sick of reliving this period of his life. Sure it was the best year at Hogwarts he had ever had, but he had changed too much to properly enjoy it, seen and done things even wizards twice his age hadn't done. He just didn't want to fight anymore.

"Dame it," Harry shouted, punching the snow covered ground. He was tired of it all. "Why didn't he just kill me?"

It was a question that Harry really wanted answered. Why had Voldemort cast this curse on him? Why not just kill him and be done with it? It didn't make much sense, but there must be some sort of reason behind it all. Voldemort didn't do anything without having a very good reason for doing so.

_I guess the answer lies in the curse that he cast me on_, Harry thought sadly, resting his arms on his drawn up knees. He and Lupin still had been unable to discover what 'The Dreamer's Curse' pertained too. Lupin figured it must be something bad, but they still hadn't been able to discover a record of the curse actually being performed. It was really starting to get annoying.

The sudden 'who-who' of an owl brought Harry out of his thoughts and he looked up just in time to see a white blur going towards him before it hit him squarely in the chest, knocking him over into the snow. By the time he had whipped the snow off of his glasses and looked down, Hedwig had seated herself comfortable in his lap.

'Who-Who' she looked up at him with her huge amber eyes and Harry noticed a large letter attacked to her lag.

"Excellent," Harry said excitingly, quickly untying the letter from her leg and ripping it open. At first it looked like Hedwig hadn't been able to find Sirius as it was his words he was staring at, but when he flipped it over he saw a response written in what looked like mud.

_Dear Harry,_

_I'm not going to try and understand how you found out about Peter and, as I'm in no position to dispute what you said, I'm inclined to believe you. I understand that you wish to speak with me. However this may be difficult seeing as I can't risk being seen too much on the grounds and there are security measures that have been taken to keep you safe and in the castle. Therefore the only thing I can come up with is to met you somewhere still on the grounds, but close to the forest. The far side of the lake closest to the forest should be good enough. Hopefully you have your father's invisibility cloak so it shouldn't be too hard for you to get out of Gryffindor Tower. I'll see you tonight around midnight then._

_Padfoot_

_P.s Tell Moony that I look foreword to seeing him again and that I really am sorry._

"Yes," Harry said, looking in the direction of the forest. "See you tonight, Sirius." Then he ran off back towards the castle to see Lupin. Hopefully he was still around.

Harry knew that Lupin doesn't show up at any of the meals during the holidays, but, taking into account that the full moon was in a day or so, Harry wouldn't be surprised if the man had just locked himself up in either his office of his living quarters for the duration of the holidays.

Skidding to a halt outside Lupin's Office, Harry knocked in the large oak door, breathing heavily from his run.

There was a pause as Harry heard papers being rustled around and the scraping of a chair being the door slowly opened. Lupin's head peered around the door and his gaze fell on Harry.

He smiled tiredly, "Hello, Harry, I thought you were spending the holidays with Ron and Hermione."

Harry sighed, still slightly out of breath. "I was, but then they brought up some things that I real didn't feel like dealing with at the moment. Can I come in?"

Lupin nodded and opened the door a little wider so that Harry could squeeze through before he shut it firmly. Harry was surprised to see what a mess the place was in. Normally Lupin was fairly organized and neat, but it looked like a tornado had ripped through the place. There were papers lying crumpled on the desk and floor, Mountains of books piled around the room with some open on the desk and another pile on the extra chair that Lupin had around for when people came into his office.

"Do I want to know?" Harry asked, making his way carefully to the chair and removing the pile from on top of it.

Lupin sighed and gazed around his office. "Yes, I do realize that it looks like a war zone in here, which when I think about it sounds quick accurate considering that some of the books have actually been fighting with me, but it's not fun trying to balance marking assignments, doing up lesson plans, researching not just your problem but a few of my own and my own tiredness from the upcoming full moon."

Harry felt bad, all of a sudden, that he was being such a burden on his Godfather. "I'm sorry-"

"Forget it, Harry," Lupin answered quickly, waving his hand dismissively at Harry's apology. "It's not your fault that you're in this mess. Beside," he moved carefully over to his desk and ruffled through a few sheet of paper, before showing on to Harry that had a big A+ written on the front, "I would have noticed something was going on with you even if you hadn't told me. You're marks have even surpassed Hermione's."

Harry grinned sheepishly, "Oops."

Lupin smiled and sat down. "Is there a particular reason why you decided to join me here in this mess," he gestured around the office, "Or did you just decide to come here to get away from Ron and Hermione."

Harry shrugged a bit. "A bit of both actually. I finally got a hold of Sirius." Lupin looked up as Harry pulled out the letter and handed it too him. "He says he can meet with me tonight."

Lupin read over the letter before looking back up at Harry. "I don't want you meeting with him alone, Harry. Like I said before, he's spent the last twelve years locked away in Azkaban and it might not be a very good idea to confront him right now alone."

"I knew you were going to say that, but don't worry. I understand, which is why I think we should both meet with him. I could get him and bring him to where ever you want," Harry answered.

Lupin nodded after a moment. "That sounds like a plan, but where could we go? There aren't many places where we could actually bring Sirius and not be seen."

"We could always go to the Shrieking Sack," Harry suggested. "It's the only safe place I can think of where Sirius could transform."

Lupin smiled softly at Harry. "Yes, I think that would do. Mind you I haven't been there in years."

Harry waved him off. "Besides a bit of dust, the place is stable. We can go there."

Lupin nodded. "Sometimes, Harry, I wonder just how much you know about the things that go on in this castle."

Harry smiled and shrugged. "The things I learn from being around two of the Marauders."

"Frankly, Harry, I'm scared to know what your Sirius has being telling you, if he's anything like he use to be."

Harry laughed at that. "Don't worry. You balance it all out."

Lupin smiled, looking down at some of the papers on his desk. "So how are you planning on telling Sirius about everything. He may not believe you."

Harry shrugged. "I thought I'd just wing it. I have a feeling that no matter what I say, he'll believe me."

Lupin sighed thoughtfully. "Just like James."

"Thank you," Harry answered.

Lupin chuckled slightly, before pulling a stack of essays towards him. "I should get these marked, but if you want to keep researching the curse, go right ahead," he said, gesturing to the books around the office.

Harry nodded, bending over to pick on up. "I've got nothing better to do." He propped open the book and began reading.

Harry met up with Ron and Hermione just after they came back from Hagrid's. Luckily neither of the mention the fight they had had that morning. Harry wondered if they even remember it at all as they didn't give any signs that there even was a fight.

Ron and Hermione were upset about Buckbeak and they ended up going straight to the library and then returning to the empty common room laden with books, which might help prepare a defence for Buckbeak. Harry didn't pay much attention to the books as they sat in front of the fire. He was busying looking over a book he had borrowed from Lupin's office hoping to find something on the curse. Luckily neither Ron nor Hermione seemed to notice.

"Here's something…there was a case in 1722…but the Hippogriff was convicted – urgh, look what they did to it, that's disgusting-"

"This might help, look – a Manlicore savaged someone in 1296, and they let the Manlicore off – oh – no, that was only because everyone was too scared to go near it…"

Later that night, when Harry was sure Ron was asleep, he snuck out of bed, took his father's invisibility cloak and made his way quietly down into the common room.

After throwing the cloak on, he started his way out of the castle. He knew that sneaking out of the castle wasn't the smartest thing to do right now as the castle was very well protected against Black fro _his_ safely, but he needed to get to Sirius. Sirius might be able to help.

Harry shivered as he stepped outside into the cold weather. Even with his school cloak on, he was still freezing. The wind whipped at the invisibility cloak as he slowly walked towards the lakeside that was closest to the forest.

The trees were like huge monstrous shades that seem to try and reach for him. The lake was frozen and still and the almost full moon casted an eerie glow over the snow.

Harry reached his destination and sat down in the snow, letting the cloak fall off his head so that Sirius could spot him. He checked his watch. _Eleven fifty-seven. Sirius should be getting here soon._

As he stared out over the lake, he sighed. So many things had changed since his 'real' third year. Not just in his life, but also Hogwarts itself. In his time, there were so many things and people guarding the place that you could hardly go anywhere without seeing some sort of security measure.

He shook his head and stared down at the ground. Too many things were different. Even he was in a way. He never would have noticed of he hadn't been put in this situation.

He continued to stare out over the lake, watching every small detail and every movement. There was a light mist rising from the lake making it hard to see the other side, but it didn't stop Harry from seeing a figure.

Harry squinted. It was a tall, cloaked figure, very hard to see through the mist. It was moving slowly towards Hogwarts. Then it stopped and looked right at him. It was a Dementor.

Harry heard something move behind him. Whatever it was, it took in a deep rattling breath. A wave of cold broke over him–

He stood and turned quickly. The Dementor was almost upon him. The screaming in Harry's head was overwhelming him. He could hardly think past it.

_Not Harry! Not Harry! Please – I'll do anything–_

_Stand aside – Stand aside, girl–_

"No!" Harry yelled, collapsing to the ground, tripping over the hem of his invisibility cloak, which now feel completely off of him. The icy cold was penetrating his insides, fog started to obscure his vision; more Dementors were appearing out of the darkness on every side; they were encircling him.

_Lily, take Harry and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off–_

Suddenly the Dementor in front of him staggered and stumbled to the ground, a huge black dog on its back. The other Dementors noticed the dog and started to go after it. The dog fought fiercely at the Dementors, but there were far too many of them. It was losing.

Harry slowly stood and pulled out his wand. His mother and father's voices screaming in his head, he pointed his wand at the hoard of Dementors and focused sonly on a happy memory. He had to save Sirius.

"_EXPECTO PATRONUM!"_ Harry yelled

And out of the end of his wand burst the stag, but like it had once before, it was pulsing gold. It galloped silently away from Harry and slammed hard into the group. Most of the Dementors staggered back and exploded. The others, sensing the danger, glided silently away.

Harry felt tired and weak, but he had to get to Sirius. The dog was limping and had a blood covered snout. Harry moved towards him slowly, however Sirius immediately started to growl at him.

Harry took a step back. Sirius probably thought this was some sort of trap.

"Padfoot," Harry began slowly. "I know what you must think, but you're wrong. Do you think Dumbledore would really use me as bait? I know you're not after me. You're after Peter. Please, believe me."

Sirius seemed to think for a moment, and then slowly moved closer to Harry. Harry quickly kneeled down in the snow and began to gently run his fingers over Padfoot's body. It was a lot thinner then he remember Sirius ever being in his dog form and their were a few cuts here and their but the worst of it was the gasp on his front leg.

"We better get out of here," Harry said after a moment, standing up and bushing the snow off his pants, "We're going to the Shrieking Shack. Moony will meet us there."

Sirius barked in reply and they slowly began making their way to the Whomping Willow.

* * *

**AN:** Remember, this chapter isn't finished, but I wanted to get something out. I'll try my best to finish it soon and get the story completed. Believe me it bothers me just as much as it bothers you guys that I haven't been able to get it finished. Review and get me your guys input and thanks for staying with me in this. 


	23. Meeting 'Sirius Black' Part Two

**AN:** Hey look, here's the second part to Chapter twenty-one! Yeah! My dad sent me the rest of my story notes, so hopefully I'mm be able to finally get this thing finished. Don't ask when the next chapter will be getting out because I don't know. Hopefully soon. School starting again on Monday, so I'm not sure what my life's going to be like just yet. I'll try hard though. Anyways, enjoy!

* * *

– Chapter Twenty-One –

**Meeting 'Sirius Black' - Part Two**

Dumbledore raised his hand, silencing the two rambling men. "What exactly happened?" he asked, softly, hoping to get a straight answer from them.

Sirius and James exchanged glances before James turned back to Dumbledore and continued with his explanation. "Harry started to glow gold."

"We're not sure why," Sirius said, rocking back on his heels. "I've only ever seen him do that when he was fighting Voldemort."

Dumbledore was in deep though, stroking his bread. "Maybe he was, or fighting something just as powerful."

James stared at the floor for a moment and then closed his eyes, searching.

"Prongs?" Sirius asked, looking over at his friend in concern. He understood that James was trying to use the link he shared with his son again, but it always seemed to drain him.

James opened his eyes slowly, stumbling slightly and taking a hold of Sirius's arm to stay standing. "Dementors. He was fighting Dementors."

"Do you know how many?" Dumbledore asked.

"I'm not exactly sure," James replied, slowly letting go of Sirius when he was sure he wasn't going to fall, though Sirius still kept a hand lightly on his elbow. "There were a lot of them and it looked as if Harry was trying to save you, Padfoot."

Sirius frowned. "Me? That doesn't make sense," he turned to look at Dumbledore he seemed to think otherwise. "Does it?"

Dumbledore nodded. "Voldemort is trying to break Harry's mind through the means of this curse and gain his power. It would therefore make sense that Harry's subconscious would create an environment in which he could protect himself. Your image in his mind is a representation of something, however I do not know if he is designed to help Harry or hinder him."

"Voldemort is behind some of the images in Harry's mind," James stated, having heard Dumbledore's explanation of the curse earlier.

"Yes and those images could be people Harry's knows. Myself, you, Mr. Weasley or Miss Granger. Voldemort could be anyone and Harry won't be able to tell the difference between those that are helping his as opposed to the ones which are hindering him until it is too late."

Sirius sighed, nodding in understanding. This curse was serious and there was a very real chance that they could lose Harry.

James sighed as well, rubbing his hands over his face. "God, I want him back," he said softly, thinking of the worse.

Sirius looked over at his friend sadly and put a reassuring arm around his shoulders. "I know, Prongs, I want him back too. Everyone does."

Dumbledore nodded sadly and walked behind his desk. "Unfortunately there isn't much we can do. Only Harry can break this curse. There is nothing we can do to help him."

"But Albus, no one has every survived it," James said, looking at the older wizard in hopelessness. "Harry might not be able to…"

"I understand, James, I do. However I believe Harry can do this. No one understands his powers, not really, and I believed that Voldemort understands them even less then we do. You should understand better than anyone. Some of the powers Harry now possesses once belonged to you."

"They still belong to me," James said softly, his arms crossed in front of his chest.

Dumbledore nodded. "Then you know what they are capable of. Harry will come out of this, James. Just try not to worry."

James snorted. "It's a father's prerogative."

* * *

After what seemed like an eternity, Harry and Sirius finally came to the opening that led into the shrieking shack. The room was exactly how Harry remembered it; papers peeling from the walls, stains all over the floor, and every piece of furniture smashed to pieces, however there was one difference this time. Remus Lupin was sitting in a near by chair that be must have transfigured, his wand already fixed on black dog behind him.

"Could you please move away from him, Harry?" Remus said calmly, as if it was an everyday occurrence that he pointed wands on his friends.

Harry merrily rolled his eyes and stepped away, feeling that he should just humour his professor and godfather. "He won't hurt me or you, Remus."

"That may be, but he still hasn't regained my trust just yet," he replied, watching the black dog carefully.

"Don't worry about it, Harry," Sirius said, after turning back into his human form. "I expected this."

"That still doesn't mean that he has to point a wand at you," Harry answered, rummaging around the broken furniture until he found a stool that looked sturdy enough to sit on.

Sirius watched Remus closely as he cautiously leaned back against one of the walls and sat down next to it.

Harry sighed, crossing his arms. "Remus, really what's Sirius going to do. We're armed, he's not. What the worst that can happen?"

Remus seemed to understand what Harry was saying, but he still kept a close eye on Sirius as he slowly lowered his wand.

"Thank you," Harry said, sagging slightly in his seat.

Remus noticed this out of the corner of his eye and, after giving Sirius a stern look, turned his full attention to the boy. "Harry, are you alright?"

Sirius was also watching Harry with concern, Remus noted.

Harry shook his head. "Not really. Some Dementors attacked me while I was waiting for Sirius. I think I over did myself when I tried to get rid of them."

"How did you do that, by the way?" Sirius asked, his arms resting against his raised knees. "For one thing, most fully trained wizards have trouble with the patronus charm and secondly, I've never seen a patronus pulse gold."

Harry smiled slightly, though it was evident that he was exhausted. "Well, for starters, I'm in my fifth year, not third, and as for why my patronus glows gold, I have no clue. I have a feeling Dumbledore knows, however he hasn't told me." _'Along with about a million other things,'_ Harry thought grimly.

Sirius frowned, looking totally confused. "What?"

"He's from the future, Sirius," Remus replied, relaxing a bit more. "The year nineteen-ninety-five I believe." Harry nodded in reply.

"But…how?"

"Someone cast a curse one me," Harry continued. "I'm pretty sure it was Voldemort, though we have no idea what the curse actually does. We're not sure if I've traveled back in time or if this is all just part of my mine."

"What curse?" Sirius asked, looking back and forth between the two of them.

"We're not sure, but Harry said that he heard the words _Avucinor Sarco _just before all of this happened and we've been able to translate the words to mean the dreamer's sleep."

Sirius eyes had gone wide as Remus spoke and both Harry and Remus realized that Sirius knew exactly what they were talking about. "But no one has ever survived it," Sirius said in a soft whisper, looking in concern at Harry.

"You mean you've heard of it?" Harry asked, feeling slightly annoyed.

Sirius nodded. "I heard about a lot of things while in Azkaban and I was an auror before I was convicted."

"Figures," Harry said exasperatedly. "We spent all that time trying to figure out what the hell it was and he already knows."

"What else do you know about it?" Remus asked.

Sirius sighed, running a hand through his long matted hair. "The caster keeps his victim in a coma like stated, trying to break down the mind's defences and drain the victim's energy and power."

"Well that would explain a lot," Harry stated thoughtfully.

"What do you mean?" Remus asked curiously, leaning forwards slightly, his wand held limply in his hand.

Harry sighed, rubbing a hand over his eyes. "Last night, I was able to get home, but when I got there I was extremely tired and weak. I felt like I didn't have any strength. I could hardly keep my eyes open."

"Did you see anyone?" Remus asked.

Harry nodded and smiled, glancing over at Sirius. "I saw Sirius."

Sirius, who had been looking down at his boots while he listened, looked up sharply. "You saw _me_."

"Yup," Harry said nodding, "Well, the future you or the real you. I'm not exactly sure," Harry added thoughtfully, trying to make sense of all this in mind.

"But you're at Hogwarts, aren't you?" Sirius asked.

Harry understood what Sirius was driving at and, feeling that now that he understood the curse better, he could tell Sirius a little about the future. "Yes, and before you ask, you're there as well. Remus too. You teach Defence and Remus teaches History of Magic. You're a lot more interesting then Professor Binns, by the way," Harry added towards Remus.

Sirius stared opened mouthed at Harry for a moment, hardly believed what his Godson was telling him.

Harry just gave him a look. "Oh come on, do you really think that Dumbledore wouldn't help you once he found out you are innocent?"

Sirius had to admit that Harry was right and simply nodded in reply.

"Were you able to tell your Sirius anything?" Remus asked, getting back on topic.

"Just the incantation," Harry said regretfully. "But I think he knew what I was talking about."

Sirius nodded. "I or he should," he said with a wave of his hand. "The way this curse works is that, if I am a true representation of the real Sirius Black, I'll have all the same memories and experiences."

Harry frowned. "What do you mean?"

Sirius crossed his legs and sat up a bit straighter. "Every person here," he gestured around and Harry realized he meant more then just the shack, "is a representation of the real people you know. We'll all have the same memories and experiences as our real counterparts. The trick, however, is that some will be influence by Voldemort to work against and others will be influenced by your subconscious, trying to help you."

Harry sighed. "Just great. Is there any way to tell whose working for whom?"

Sirius shook his head sadly. "I'm afraid not. You'll just have to decided for yourself whether you trust them or not."

Harry nodded. "Well, I know for sure that the two of you are helping me. I never would have gotten as far as I have without Remus and you've just given me more help then anything so far."

Remus had been watching Harry closely throughout this whole exchange and he saw how tired and worn out he looked. "We'll get you home, Harry," Remus said suddenly, trying to be reassuring. "I promise."

Harry merrily nodded in reply. He did believe Remus, but there was still some doubt in his mind. Voldemort wasn't going to let him go easily. What if he couldn't get back? What if he died?

Sirius stared at Harry for a moment before he cautiously moved towards him. He was well aware that Remus was watching his every move, but he couldn't just sit there and watch Harry like this. This wasn't how he had pictured his Godson, even if he was from the future. Kids his age shouldn't be sad and tired all the time.

He squatted down in front of Harry and forced the boy to look at him. "Harry, what's wrong?"

Harry watched Sirius closely then sighed. Should he tell Sirius? If this were real, he would. Sirius was the closest thing he had to a father and Harry trusted him. Remus too, but this was different. The Sirius and Remus here were both still plagued by the memories they had, not having yet worked through them like the real Sirius and Remus had. Could they understand?

"I'm just," he began, trying to organize his thoughts. "I'm just so…tried of fighting. I'm tired of Voldemort and all of his attempts at trying to kill me. I just…I just wish that it could all stop and my life could be…normal."

Remus watched both Harry and Sirius closely as this point. He could see things in Sirius's eyes that he had rarely seen before and would never have expected to see. He could clearly see the guilt and regret that was eating at the convict and he could clearly see the concern and love he had for Harry in his pale blue eyes.

But it was Harry's reaction that had surprised him the most. At first it had seemed like he had been debating with himself about whether he should answer Sirius's question or not.

The when he did, Remus realized how close he and Sirius must be in the future. Harry pretty much just split out to Sirius his troubles and feelings which Remus hadn't seen him do before to anyone, even Ron and Hermione.

Sirius wasn't quite sure how to react to Harry's answer. He spoke with so much sadness and loss that Sirius wasn't sure he wanted to know what he had gone through.

He sighed, rubbing his hand soothingly against Harry's knee. "Things can get better, Harry." "Only if Voldemort is destroyed for good," Harry said grimly. "Most of the wizarding world expects me to do it because I'm the bloody boy who lived." Sirius glanced up at Remus for help. Remus however was just as much at a loss as Sirius. Neither knew how to comfort Harry. For starters, they had no idea what he'd gone through and secondly, they just didn't know Harry well enough.

"Harry," Remus began, moving his chair closer to him. "No one is expecting you to do anything. Not now and I'm pretty sure our future selves, or real selves," he amended, "don't expect anything either. Your life has been pretty unfair to you and we know that. Just because you lived doesn't mean we expect you to defeat Voldemort."

"But everyone else does," Harry said, throwing his hands up into the air. "Everywhere I go, people stare at me, not just because I'm Harry Potter, but because they think that I'll protect them."

"It doesn't matter what other people think about you, Harry," Sirius replied. "Everyone thinks that I'm a Death Eater and that I betrayed Lily and James to Voldemort and killed thirteen people with one curse, but is that true?"

Harry shook his head in reply, understanding what Sirius was getting at.

Remus sighed. "Harry, why don't you head off to bed? Sirius and I need to sort some things out. Besides you look about ready to drop anyways."

Harry rubbed a hand over his face again, mentally agreeing with Remus, but he needed to make sure of something first. "Only if you promise you won't kill him" Harry replied, gesturing towards Sirius.

Remus smiled. "Promise."

"Okay," Harry said softly, leaning forwards slightly to give Sirius a hug. "See you later," he said, standing up.

"Yeah. Good-night, Harry," Sirius replied, as Harry headed for the trapdoor.

"Good-night. Good-night, Remus," Harry said with a bit of a wave.

"Night, Harry," Remus answered and then Harry was gone.

Sirius looked up at Remus cautiously. "Moony, I-"

Remus held his hand up, cutting Sirius off. "No Sirius," he sighed. "Harry told me all about what happened. He told me it was Peter who gave Lily and James to Voldemort and that he was the true Secret Keeper."

Sirius merrily nodded in reply, not exactly sure where Remus was heading with this.

Remus looked down at the floor, fiddling with his hands. "He has the Marauder's Map Sirius and he showed it to me. Peter is in Gryffindor Tower."

"So does this mean you believe me?"

Sirius asked, almost dreading the answer. He didn't know if he could handle the only friend he had left not believing him.

Remus raised his head, a smile on his face that made his amber eyes light up for the first time in years. "I believe you, Padfoot. I just needed to see if I could trust you or not."

A big grin spread across Sirius's face. Remus slowly got out of the chair and knelt down beside Sirius, hugging him. "Can you forgive me?" he said softly and Sirius could hear the guilt and regret in his voice.

Sirius sighed, rubbing Remus's back. "Only if you can forgive me for not telling you we switched and for ever thinking you were the traitor," he replied.

Remus pulled back a bit to look into Sirius's face. "Fair enough," he replied with a smile. "Now come on. You look like you could do with a shower and a good meal."

"And how, exactly, am I suppose to get that?" Sirius asked.

"Just come with me as Padfoot into the castle and I'll get you something to eat from the kitchen. You can use my shower."

Sirius frowned, raising an eyebrow. "You'll get in trouble if we're caught."

Remus just shrugged. "The way I see it, this isn't really happening and we aren't really real so what difference does it make?"

Sirius couldn't help but smile. "Fair enough. Thanks Moony."

Remus just nodded, getting to his feet. "That's what friends are for."

And so Sirius turned into his dog form and they silently made their way back up into the castle.

* * *

On Christmas morning, Harry was woken by Ron throwing his pillow at him.

"Oy! Presents!"

'_What's the point?' _Harry grumbled to himself, reaching for his glasses and squinting through the semi-darkness. _'I already know what I'm getting and I'd much rather sleep, thank you very much.'_

Ron was already ripping through his own presents, not seeming to notice Harry's grumpy look. "Another jumper from Mum," he muttered to himself, holding the article of clothing up so he could get a better look at it. "Maroon again…see if you got one."

Harry already knew that he had, but he obediently checked just to please Ron. He got his jumper and a ton of sweets, but it didn't cheer him up any, even when he got to the bottom of the pile and saw the long, thin package lying on the floor that he knew contained his Firebolt.

"What's that?" Ron asked, looking over Harry's shoulder at the package, a pair of maroon coloured socks in his hands.

"Dunno…" Harry replied with a sigh, pulling the package towards him. He ripped it opened and pretended to be surprised when he saw the broom roll out onto his bedspread.

Ron's eyes opened wide as he dropped his socks and jumped off his bed to get a closer look. "I don't believe it," he said hoarsely.

Harry sighed, allowing Ron to pick the broom up to get a closer look. As Ron scrutinized the broom, Harry studied Ron. Sirius had said that some people here would be helping him and others would hinder. Now Ron still acted as though it was third year, along with everyone else, so he couldn't tell if he was being influenced by Voldemort or not, but he was hoping that he could see something that would tell him. He didn't like not knowing who he could trust and who he couldn't.

"Who sent it too you?" Ron asked in a hushed voice.

Harry merrily smiled. "A friend I know."

"Really? What kind of friend? They must not mind spending a lot of money on you."

"Well," Harry said, "I guess you could say that he hasn't had a chance to buy me anything before so this is to make up from all the birthdays and Christmases he's missed."

"What are you two up to?"

Hermione had just came in, wearing her dressing gown and carrying Crookshanks, who look very grumpy, with a string of tinsel tied around his neck.

"Don't bring him in here!" Ron yelled, hurriedly snatching Scabbers from the depths of his bed and stowing him in his pyjama pocket. But Hermione wasn't listening. She dropped Crookshanks onto Seamus's empty bed and stared, open-mouthed at the Firebolt.

"Oh, Harry! Who sent you that?"

"Just a friend I know," he answered, watching her closely for a response. If Voldemort was influencing her, surely he'd know exactly which friend he was referring too and maybe, if he was lucky, he'd get a reaction out of her.

Crookshanks, however, distracted him as he suddenly sprang from Seamus's bed, right at Ron's chest.

"GET-HIM-OUT-OF-HERE!" Ron bellowed, as Crookshanks's claws ripped his pyjamas and Scabbers attempted a wild escape over his shoulder. During the struggle, Harry could have sworn that he heard the sound of barking. It was getting louder until it sounded like it was coming from right outside the dormitory door. Then there was a scratching noise, like claws against the door.

Ron, holding his foot tightly, stared at the door in bewilderment. "How'd a dog get into Gryffindor Tower?"

Harry walked towards the door and slowly opened it. There was a dog sitting patiently just outside. A big, black shaggy do – "Padfoot?" Harry asked, looking surprised. "What are you doing here?" He opened the door wider and Sirius slowly padded his way in.

Hermione quickly snatched up Crookshanks. "Don't let that in here, Harry. Dogs and cats don't normally get along."

"Don't worry about Padfoot," Harry replied, carefully closing the door while Sirius sniffed around. "He's perfectly house trained."

Sirius turned and seemed to give him a reproachful look before getting back to his sniffing.

Ron looked at the dog questionably. "Whose dog is he?"

"Professor Lupin's," Harry said quickly. "And his name is Padfoot."

Sirius seemed to find whatever it was he was looking for and stared growling at the quivering form in Ron's hands. He moved closer to Ron, who stepped back, looking at the dog in apprehension.

He swallowed hard. "Um, Harry?"

"Padfoot?" Harry said, watching Sirius closely. "Leave _him_ only."

Sirius looked up at Harry in surprise, but then he saw the look Harry was giving him and he backed down, moving towards Harry's bed, jumping up onto it, and lying down.

Hermione look at Sirius in concern. "Is he sick or something, Harry? He doesn't look to good."

"He's fine. He's probably just had a rough night," Harry answered, moving back towards his bed and sitting down beside Sirius, scratching him just behind his ears. _'I really can't blame him at the moment.'_

Harry then turned to watch Scabbers with a vengeance. The little rat quivered even more.

"He's not looking too good, is he?" Harry asked, trying not to sound as pleased as he was feeling about it.

"It's stress!" Ron argued defensively. "He'd be fine if that stupid great fur ball left him alone!"

Hermione huffed angrily at this and promptly left the room, taking Crookshanks with her.

Harry sighed as Sirius turned to look at him questionably. "Here we go again," he said softly, rubbing a hand up and down Sirius's side. Sirius merrily licked his hand in reply.

* * *

**AN: **What else can I say but... REVIEW PLEASE!!!

* * *


End file.
